Red Mansion Huacai

Chapter 355 Earning a Place in the Grand View Garden

The ear room in the east courtyard of the Bo Mansion.

The blush on her face had not yet faded when Bitong walked out of the ear room in just her middle dress. The two maids, Caiping and Caizao, remembered the charming noise just now and immediately lowered their heads with red faces.

Bitong didn't care at all. She walked over and glanced at the two of them. She said in the official language of the capital that she was becoming familiar with: "The master said that there is no need to keep anyone to serve us. You can go down now."

The two maids responded and then watched Bitong walk away gracefully.

Cai Ping frowned, and when Bitong disappeared, she spat, "Bah, you shameless foreign woman!"

Caizao said, "Say less, Miss Qin is protecting her."

Cai Ping was surprised and said, "It's strange, why does Miss Qin insist on protecting Bitong?"

Caizao curled her lips and said nothing, and the two maids quickly retreated.

In the side room, the faucet was gurgling. Hongyu, who had half taken off her silk shirt, reached out to stir the water. She said to Li Weijian, who was sitting on the bed like a master, "Fourth Master, the water is ready."

Li Weijian undressed and lazily got into the bathtub, letting Hongyu wash him with a towel.

Hongyu had some guesses in her mind, but she didn't dare to make any assumptions, so she asked tentatively, "Fourth Master, since you want to help Second Madam, why don't you just send the You sisters away?"

Li Weijian said lazily: "I'd better not get involved in this kind of family affairs. If there is too much or too little, it will all be left over in the future."

Besides, he only wanted to protect Feng Jieer and the unborn child, and he didn't care about anything else. Even if Feng Jieer and Jia Lian had a falling out in the future, he could just divorce Feng Jieer with a divorce letter, which would satisfy Li Weijian's wish.

Hongyu said, "Second Madam has a strong temper. She listened to Fourth Master's advice this time. I'm afraid there will be more trouble in the future."

Li Weijian snorted twice and said nothing. Hongyu was unsure... Thinking about the past, and seeing that Ping'er had left her alone to talk to the Fourth Master and the Second Madam, she felt that there was something fishy going on between the two. But the Fourth Master only advised the Second Madam to hide in the garden in Xiangshan first, and it seemed that he didn't care about the rest? What was the reason for this?
"Ouch!" Suddenly, a handful of water splashed on Hongyu's cheek. Hongyu was immediately annoyed and pouted, "Fourth Master!"

"Don't think too much, just take care of your own business."

Hongyu obeyed obediently and said, "The maids bought by Madam have all learned the rules and regulations. They will be deployed when Madam returns."

"Well, I'll leave this matter to my sister. By the way, has Qiufang been taking medicine these days?"

Hongyu said, "The lochia has not yet been completely discharged. I asked the imperial physician to come and take a look yesterday. He said it will be almost gone in a few days."

Li Weijian sighed, "Giving birth to a child these days is like going through the gates of hell."

Hongyu continued, "Hasn't it always been like this since ancient times?"

Li Weijian grabbed the hand that was wiping his shoulder and said, "So don't be impatient. Wait a few years until you grow up and your wish will come true."

Hongyu's rosy face became even more flushed, and she said angrily, "Fourth Master, I'm not in a hurry."

Li Weijian smiled but said nothing. If she wasn't in a hurry, why would Hongyu work so hard just now? If she really couldn't hold on any longer, why would she ask Bitong to come in and help?

It is said that the eldest son of a concubine is the source of trouble, but in fact the root of the trouble lies with the head of the family. Li Weijian considers himself a master of keeping things in balance, and the women around him are either smart or simple-minded, but they really have no intention of harming others. But as the old saying goes, women are weak by nature, but strong as mothers, and Li Weijian is afraid that for the sake of his children, the good family will be in chaos.

Alas, it is a pity that Daiyu is still young and weak; Xiangyun is strong but even younger. If we calculate that it will take another two or three years, it will be fine. If it takes five or six years, I am afraid that except Baoqin, no one else can wait.

After bathing, Li Weijian was briefly affectionate with Hongyu before going to look for Fu Qiufang.

In the small crossing of the west courtyard, Fu Qiufang was delighted to see Li Weijian coming, but she said with embarrassment: "Why is the master here? I am not feeling well right now."

Li Weijian said angrily, "Don't talk nonsense. I didn't come to you just for sex." He then pulled Fu Qiufang's hand and went inside. The two of them sat side by side at the head of the bed. He teased little Lian'er for a while, and when he fell asleep, he asked the wet nurse to take him away. Then he talked to Fu Qiufang for a long time.

Fu Qiufang was a little disappointed when she gave birth to a daughter as her first child. Seeing that Li Weijian was just like usual, she couldn't help but said with red eyes: "I know I shouldn't have high hopes, but I'm really afraid--"

What is there to be afraid of? Fu Qiufang is in her prime, if she delays for a few more years, she will probably become old and ugly.

Li Weijian embraced Fu Qiufang and whispered to her, "You have so many worries. Take good care of yourself. It's important to have another son next year."

Fu Qiufang frowned and said, "It's just that the Madam—"

"Don't worry, I'll tell Sister Lin later."

Only then did Fu Qiufang stop crying, snuggled in Li Weijian's arms, sighed, and still felt vaguely uneasy.

Li Weijian knew that no matter how much he tried to comfort Fu Qiufang, she would still be suspicious. He had thought it through clearly. According to the rules of the past dynasties, illegitimate sons could share the family property, and legitimate sons could get a title in addition to the family property. Anyway, his family property was quite rich, so giving more would be less noticeable and avoid being envied in the future.

Li Weijian rested in Fu Qiufang's room that day. The next day, Fu Qiufang was indeed in much better spirits. She served Li Weijian breakfast and personally sent him to the ceremonial gate before returning.

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

Rongguo Mansion.

Although she listened to Li Weijian's advice, Wang Xifeng was a stubborn person. She tossed and turned at night, getting angrier and angrier the more she thought about it.

He wanted to change his mind and had a fight with that vixen, but yesterday the old lady came in person, comforted him with warm words, and allowed him to go to Yuyuan in Xiangshan to escape the summer heat.

They said they were going to Xiangshan, but it would take some time to pack their bags. Besides, Feng Jieer was in advanced stage of pregnancy and it was hard to tell when she would go into labor, so they had to bring the midwife and the imperial physician along.

Now Feng Jieer had no shortage of money, so she sent Lai Wang to spend some money early in the morning. In just a short while, she invited two midwives and two doctors to come.

Ping'er then went back inside and replied, "Madam, Ding Rusong, who is with the Fourth Master, is waiting outside the Second Gate for instructions. He said that the Fourth Master has vacated his own carriage, so Madam will ride in it and not get bumped."

Wang Xifeng snorted twice, and although her face was not happy, she felt relieved. Especially yesterday, Li Weijian had said in private that if things didn't go well, he would rather keep the adults, and the child could be asked for again in the future... This made Fengjie feel even more relieved.

Comparing the two, Jia Lian is used to using nice words to coax people, but he is one thing on the surface and another in private. Although Brother Jian is a bit cunning, he is always sincere. Sister Feng thought about it, and she didn't expect that her angry behavior that day would win Brother Jian's affection. This man, the wild one is more reliable than the one at home.

The mistress of the house was going out, and everyone was very busy. All kinds of clothes and things were packed into boxes and cages. There were three full carriages for carrying things. Ping'er, of course, had to go with her. The rest of the people, including the little maids, the nanny, the old woman, etc., totaled no less than twenty people.

In the morning, Tanchun took care of the household affairs first, and then hurried to Yihong Courtyard to help. Not long after, Mrs. Xing also came over in a pretentious manner and talked to Sister Feng for a while.

"I think it's better to go to Xiangshan. This capital is too hot to stay here. I changed three sets of clothes yesterday morning and night. If it continues to be so hot, I'm afraid I won't have any clothes left to change into."

Wang Xifeng replied perfunctorily, "Madam is right."

Madam Xing continued, "Originally, Zhen's daughter-in-law was going to come and see you off, but she caught a cold at night and was afraid she might have passed away, so she sent a maid to inform me early in the morning and asked me to tell you about it."

Sister Feng was not a good-tempered person. She sneered, "Oh, Sister Zhen's illness is just the right time. It's better if I don't come. We'll see each other sooner or later. It doesn't matter if it happens this time. There will be more time in the future!"

Hearing Sister Feng's unfriendly tone, Mrs. Xing pretended not to know and turned to ask about the things that came with her one by one.

After noon, Ping'er came back and said, "Madam, everything is ready. Laiwang wants to know if you are leaving right away."

Sister Feng smiled and said, "You are all eager to see me off. I dare not stay any longer. Let's set off now."

At that moment, a maid brought a sedan chair and carried Feng Jieer out of the ceremonial gate. Then, with the help of the maid, she got into the carriage vacated by Li Weijian.

As soon as she entered, Feng Jieer felt something different. Not only were there glass windows, but it was also exceptionally cool. Ping Er went in and sat down and said with a smile, "Madam, you don't know that there is a cotton-wrapped iron box on the roof of this carriage, which is filled with ice. The Ding brothers said that a block of ice can last for three hours."

There was no one else inside, so Sister Feng said angrily, "He has to be so obsessed with this delicate object."

Ping Er smiled and said, "If it weren't for such a clever idea, the Fourth Master wouldn't be in his current situation."

When the threshold of the corner gate was removed, eight carriages left the gate one after another, winding their way through the inner city. It took more than half an hour before they finally left the outer city.

Perhaps because she had not slept well at night, the temperature in the carriage was just right, and Sister Feng fell asleep. Ping Er hurriedly found a pillow and helped Sister Feng take a nap.

The carriage rumbled along, but because it moved slowly and on flat ground, Feng Jieer didn't feel the bumps at all. Her mind gradually relaxed, and she fell asleep in a short while.

When Fengjie woke up, she rubbed her sleepy eyes and asked, Ping'er said: "Madam, you sleep well. You have slept for nearly three hours. Now it's time to go up the mountain."

Feng Jieer stood up and looked outside. As expected, she saw the mountain road. There were towering old trees all around, the sound of springs gurgling, and the sound of bells was empty and distant. Freed from the shackles of Rongguo Mansion, Feng Jieer took a deep breath and felt a rare sense of openness. Glancing at Ping'er beside her, Feng Jieer turned her mind and said, "Have you thought it through?"

"Ah?" Ping'er was surprised at first, then her pretty face flushed, she lowered her head and stammered, unable to utter a word.

Feng Jieer said, "You are unwilling now, but I am afraid you will enjoy it in the future."

Ping'er twisted her handkerchief in her hands, stammering in silence, feeling both shy and expectant.

Feng Jieer stopped looking at Ping Er and thought to herself that she would be giving birth in a month or two, and she thought that the wild bull would have time to come and see her, and then she could make this happen.

Small flower branch lane.

The carriage stopped in front of the courtyard gate. Li Wan got out of the carriage, frowned and looked at the gate, then sighed and ordered: "Go and knock on the door."

The maid hurried forward and knocked on the door, but Li Wan felt very uncomfortable. I returned home today and just went to greet the old lady, and I got this job. I wanted to refuse, but I couldn't - Sister Feng went to Xiangshan to escape the summer heat, Jia Lian has not returned yet, and Mrs. Xing, Mrs. You and Tanchun are not suitable. After all the calculations, only she can come.

While she was thinking about it, Bao Erjia opened the door. The old woman looked her up and down and said, "Go back, Second Sister. The eldest lady is here."

When Bao Erjia heard this, she was so shocked that she lost her soul! When she saw that it was Li Wan who came, she breathed a sigh of relief. Although this eldest lady was not easy to provoke, she had a good temper. She had been in the mansion for so many years and had never heard of anyone getting angry.

He immediately hurriedly replied. Although You Erjie was also surprised, she had already come, so she had to greet him with courtesy, so she quickly straightened her clothes and came out to greet him.

When he arrived at the door, he bowed and greeted.

Li Wan glanced at You Erjie and thought to herself, she is indeed a pretty girl, no wonder Jia Lian was willing to take the risk and secretly marry her.

But Li Wan became more and more unhappy, as she felt that You Erjie had a coquettish look on her face, and did not look like a girl from a respectable family. Instead, she had a hint of worldly air.

Suyun and Biyue helped Li Wan into the inner room. You Erjie bowed again, smiled and called out, "Sister, please come down. I have not been far away. Please forgive me for my haste."

Li Wan frowned immediately, and Su Yun scolded her, "This young lady is so unreasonable. My grandmother has never had any contact with you. Even if you really get married in the future, you should call her Grandmother... How can you say that you are a sister?"

You Erjie's face immediately turned red with embarrassment. She gritted her teeth and bowed her head, saying, "I called you the wrong name. Please forgive me, Madam."

In the back room, Third Sister You wanted to speak up for Second Sister You when she heard this, but was stopped by Old Lady You.

Third Sister You said angrily, "The Jia family came to bully us, and you won't let me stand up for my sister?"

Old Lady You pulled Third Sister You aside and taught her a lesson: "I was just teaching your sister the rules. You are harming her by stepping out now!"

At this time, Li Wan had entered the room with a cold face and sat on the main seat. Seeing You Erjie standing by with her hands down, she sighed and said, "This matter should not be handled by me, but now the Second Madam is about to give birth and Brother Lian is away from home. The old lady gave the order, so I had to do it reluctantly."

You Erjie said hurriedly, "I am young. Since I came here, everything has been decided by my mother and sister. I didn't expect that this matter would alarm the Rong Mansion..." She bit her lower lip and said, "I will follow the wishes of the eldest lady in all matters. There is only one thing, I hope the eldest lady will not break up the couple."

Li Wan said with a straight face, "How to deal with you is up to the old lady and the first wife, and it has nothing to do with me. Brother Lian did something wrong. He secretly married you during a time of national mourning and family mourning. If it gets out, I'm afraid it will damage the reputation of the Jia family. So it was the old lady who sent me to take you home—"

You Erjie immediately felt relieved.

Li Wan continued, "I have heard the gossips outside for the past ten days. Whether you are deliberately scheming or Brother Lian is deliberately flattering you, since you have entered the family, your status is a concubine. You cannot get past the mistress in anything. If there are rumors about the new second mistress or the old second mistress, even if Sister Feng can tolerate you, the old lady will not tolerate you!"

You Erjie's face turned green and red, but she finally responded obediently, "Yes, I would never dare to do that."

Li Wan was too lazy to talk to him, so she said, "In that case, pack your bags and follow me."

At that moment, Old Lady You and Third Sister You did not dare to show up, so Second Sister You asked Mrs. Bao to pack up her luggage. After a while, she rode in a sedan chair and followed Li Wan to the back door of Rong Mansion.

Entering from the back door, they were in the Grand View Garden in a blink of an eye. They went straight to the Yihong Courtyard, got off the sedan chair, and waited for a long while before Li Wan arrived.

Li Wan then said, "No matter what, you can't see the light of day now. At least you can get through the national mourning and family mourning first, then talk about other things. So, you can stay in the side room first, and all your needs will be provided according to your concubine's share."

He then ordered Suyun to take You Erjie to the side room and settle her down. Only then did Li Wan go to Rongqing Hall in front to report.

In Rongqing Hall, Mrs. Xing and Mrs. You were both there at the moment, and Grandmother Jia's face was livid and unpleasant. When Li Wan came in and answered, Grandmother Jia asked about Second Sister You. Because Mrs. You was present, Li Wan only praised Second Sister You for her beauty. Grandmother Jia became even more unhappy after hearing this, and when Mrs. Xing asked, "Madam, do you want Second Sister to come over and kowtow?"

Grandmother Jia said coldly, "You can't even see the light now, why are you bowing?" Then she said to Youshi, "Tell your sisters to take good care of them and not to cause any more trouble."

Youshi quickly agreed, then stood up and took her leave, going to the back to look for You Erjie.

It is said that Youshi went all the way to Yihong Courtyard. Before she even entered the door, she heard the cursing from afar: "--You whore who was raped first and then married, and no man wants you, and you want to be raped by me! Madam is virtuous and cannot go against the Second Master's wishes, but I can't do it! Shameless whore, you are just taking advantage of Madam's lack of time to pay attention to me when she is giving birth. After Madam gives birth, I will definitely have a good son for you!"

Yu Shi stopped in front of the gate of Yihong Courtyard, frowned when she heard this, and asked the maid beside her in a low voice: "Who is this?"

The maid said, "Grandma, have you forgotten? There is a concubine named Qiutong living in the Second Madam's courtyard."

Qiu Tong was originally a maid in the eldest master's room. Because Jia Lian was caught stealing from Bao Erjia by Sister Feng, Jia Lian threatened to kill Sister Feng. Mrs. Xing took the opportunity to plot, and Lady Jia made the decision to send Qiu Tong to Jia Lian's room.

Although Qiu Tong was somewhat pretty, she was shallow. Feng Jieer didn't take her seriously at all, and since Qiu Tong had a personal bond in her hand, she was just a concubine. For many years, Qiu Tong had been a concubine, but her share was still not as good as Ping Er's.

Wang Xifeng never paid any attention to Qiu Tong, but Jia Lian was a man who easily got tired of the old and loved the new, and he ignored Qiu Tong in less than half a year.

At this time, Feng Jieer was not at home, and the news that Jia Lian secretly married You Erjie had already spread everywhere. Qiu Tong did not know that You Erjie was planning to become the second wife, and she only thought that she was equal to herself, and was just a concubine. Qiu Tong was annoyed that Jia Lian ignored her, but she did not dare to make trouble with Feng Jieer, so she simply came to find trouble with You Erjie.

You Erjie hid in the side room, her face flushed, and she dared not say anything back. But You Shi outside could not stand it any longer. She took a deep breath and stepped inside. She said to Qiu Tong from a distance, "You are so rude. Who told you to curse in the street?"

Qiu Tong glanced at him and sneered, "I was wondering who it was. Isn't this the eldest grandmother of Ning Mansion? It's a pity that Ning Mansion is gone, and now you are showing off your power in Rong Mansion? Our grandmother and the third lady didn't say anything, so who are you?"

"You——" Yu Shi was so angry that she fell backwards, but she couldn't say a word.

Qiu Tong sneered and cursed again, "You slut who only knows how to flirt with men and do bad things to them. Not only did you bring disaster to Ning Mansion, but now you are bringing disaster to Rong Mansion too. You wish for it! I'm making this clear today. If you don't get out, I'll keep scolding you. I'm not afraid of wearing out my tongue. Let's see how long you can stand it!"

After saying that, Qiu Tong turned around and went into the east wing, slamming the door.

The two maids around Youshi were very angry, but they were under the same roof as Rong Mansion and after all, it was not as good as Ning Mansion, so they just kept silent.

Youshi was furious, but she knew it was beneath her dignity to argue with a maid, so she suppressed her anger and went to the west wing to find You Erjie.

When the door opened, Youshi entered and saw You Erjie crying bitterly.

You Shi ordered the maid to guard the door, and came over to sit next to You Erjie, frowning and saying, "I told you to wait until the baby is born before thinking about other things. Why can't you wait for another year or two?"

If Yu's plan is followed, wait until You Erjie gives birth to a boy and then slowly plan. Feng Jieer is pregnant at this time, whether she can give birth to a boy is still uncertain. Let's conceal it first and make some calculations in secret, maybe there will be two lives for one corpse. Then the second sister will be able to enter the family naturally.

It was strange that just now Old Lady You agreed to it, but now rumors started spreading.

You Erjie cried with tears in her eyes, "It's all because of my third sister who can't wait. If we delay, something bad will happen."

Yu Shi thought of the troublesome Third Sister Yu and suddenly didn't know what to say. She turned around and asked, "What are mother and Third Sister's plans?"

Although the second and third sisters were both hanging out with Jia Lian, it was not right to let the third sister in after the second sister came in. You Erjie said, "When I was packing just now, my mother told me that I should go home with the third sister first. We can discuss other things later."

Youshi nodded and asked again, "Are you really pregnant now?"

You Erjie stopped crying and said, "According to the date, my period is five or six days late."

Even if you haven't eaten pork, you've seen pigs run. Yu Shi counted on her fingers and said, "It will take another half month before we can ask the imperial physician to diagnose it. Qiu Tong is just a concubine, or a lowly concubine. Why are you afraid of her? Feng Jieer is not an easy person to get along with. Fortunately, she went to Xiangshan, otherwise I'm afraid she would have used some tricks in private."

Although You Erjie was thoughtful, she was timid by nature. She just nodded her head repeatedly when she heard this, but cried and begged, "It's a pity that everyone around me has left, even Bao Er's wife has been sent to the front. There is no one to talk back to me. I beg you to have mercy on me, sister."

Youshi said, "Don't worry. I'll look for maids later and assign a few favorite maids to look after you." As she spoke, she took off her purse and took out a banknote from it: "The servants in this garden are all obsessed with wealth and luxury. If you are more generous, your life will be a little better."

After Yu Shi consoled her, she led the maid away. Second Sister You looked at the empty wing room and felt uneasy. When she saw that the banknote in her hand was only a hundred taels, she felt even more aggrieved. She only hoped that Jia Lian would return soon so that she could support him.

(End of this chapter)