Red Mansion Huacai

Chapter 364: Borrowing a Knife to Kill

Weichang Palace.

A group of more than ten cavalrymen surrounded a woman in red. The woman drew her bow and arrows, and with the advantage of the rapid-fire quiver, she shot seven arrows in the blink of an eye, and the two half-grown wild boars fell to the ground in an instant. When the group came back, the leader of the scouts complimented: "Madam Wu is very skilled. I'm afraid that even a cavalry general would be able to defeat her if she fell into the Beijing camp."

Xiuying rode her horse around until she was close to Li Weijian, picked up two plump rabbits hanging beside the horse and said with a smile, "Master, how about roasting some rabbits tonight?"

Li Weijian smiled and nodded, and then nodded to Ding Rusong who was standing beside him. The latter came forward and handed over the twenty silver coins wrapped in red paper, and said with a smile: "Come on, come on, please protect us brothers. My uncle wants to invite you to drink some wine to warm your bodies."

All the cavalrymen were overjoyed and thought to themselves that it was no wonder that it was Li Caishen, who was so generous.

They all bowed their hands in thanks: "Thank you, Uncle Li!"

Li Weijian waved to the crowd, then rode side by side with Xiuying and asked in a low voice, "Have you had enough of the wildness?"

Xiuying nodded and said with a smile, "That's great. Although I was born in Jinling, I love the grasslands. Master, why don't we buy a house nearby? Wouldn't it be wonderful to go hunting in the grasslands when we have time?"

Li Weijian laughed and said, "Nonsense! Don't look at the people of the grasslands singing and dancing now. If we were alone, do you believe they would immediately turn into a pack of wolves and tear us apart?"

Xiuying was not very courageous, and immediately shrank her neck and said, "Forget it then."

quack--

After a few strange cries, Li Weijian looked up and saw a huge magpie landing in front of him. It then flapped its wings and flew towards the palace.

Baoqin couldn't bear to see the magpie go hunting secretly today, so she didn't follow. Xiuying looked at the big magpie flying away and exclaimed: "That magpie has become a spirit, and now it knows how to look for people!"

Ding Rusong, who was following behind, laughed and said, "Auntie Wu, you don't know that the Prince of Khorchin has a Saker Falcon. I don't know how it was spotted by Miss Baoqin. The Saker Falcon forgot its master in two days and came to look for Miss Baoqin every day. The Prince of Khorchin was so angry that he simply locked up the Saker Falcon."

Xiuying exclaimed: "Miss Baoqin is really capable, eh? Master, we don't need to buy cattle and sheep in the future. Let Miss Baoqin go to the grassland every now and then, the cattle and sheep will probably follow them by themselves, cluck cluck cluck——"

They entered the imperial palace while chatting and laughing. There were military tents all around, and the inner circle was the tents of the officers and soldiers. Further inside was the enclosure palace. When Li Weijian found his own tent, he saw Baoqin holding a can of hawthorn with a bitter face and eating it. When she saw Li Weijian, she pouted and said, "Where can you find such a prince? Just now, the King of Jin came by himself and took away dozens of canned fruits, saying that he wanted to honor the saint. Fourth brother, we don't have many canned fruits left."

Li Weijian smiled and said, "It's okay. I sent a letter to the capital a few days ago. The new ones will be delivered before the canned food is finished."

Baoqin finally breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I used to think meat tasted better than vegetables, but I didn't expect that on this grassland, I would have to eat only mutton and beef every day. I really lost my appetite. When I return to the capital, I will eat vegetarian food for a month."

After finishing the canned hawthorn in a few bites, Baoqin said, "Yes, I just received a letter from the mistress. Master, remember to reply later."

It was already early August, and Li Weijian was accompanying the emperor on his northern tour. He would receive letters from Daiyu every few days. Daiyu was very casual, and she would write letters every three to five days, or even several days in a row. In addition to expressing her concern for her, she would sometimes include a poem from her boudoir.

A few days ago, Li Weijian simply copied a poem by Nalan, which shocked Baoqin for several days and she could not recover. She just thought that Li Weijian was talented. After pestering for several days, Li Weijian racked his brains to come up with a poem that was incoherent, and Baoqin was speechless for a while.

She sent a letter to Daiyu in private, and Daiyu replied: Fourth Brother Jian's talent is a bit unreliable, it fluctuates, it appears and disappears, it is really confusing.

Baoqin felt very sad and stopped discussing poetry with Li Weijian.

"My sister has written to me again? Let me take a look first." He took the letter, opened it, and found a stool to sit on.

As usual, Daiyu first expressed her feelings of separation, and then talked about the trivial matters at home. Since Baoqin was not there, the affairs outside were temporarily handed over to Fu Qiufang. Perhaps because of the fact that pregnancy makes people stupid for three years, Fu Qiufang made mistakes in handling the accounts, and she was so upset that she finally hired two competent accountants from outside.

Little Lian'er had long lost the vernix and was now plump and very cute. Yes, now not only could he turn over by himself, he could even sit up sometimes. The nanny said that little Lian'er was stronger than an ordinary child and looked three parts like Fu Qiufang and seven parts like Li Weijian.

Later, it was mentioned that Feng Jieer had given birth to a daughter. Daiyu went to visit her and although Feng Jieer smiled, it was a bit forced. Mrs. Xing did not say anything, but the old lady was very sorry for it.

At the end of the letter, there was a short poem, written casually and without any rhyme, but the feeling of missing someone was evident in the words.

Putting down the letter, Li Weijian frowned. The baby weighed 5.6 jin. Fortunately, she was born a month prematurely due to miscarriage, otherwise Fengjie and the child would be in danger.

While he was thinking, he suddenly saw Dai Quan leading two eunuchs to come quickly. When he saw Li Weijian, he immediately said anxiously: "Oh, my uncle Li, we thought he had gone to the enclosure. Come quickly, the saint is waiting."

Li Weijian did not dare to neglect it, and hurriedly got up and followed Dai Quan. On the way, he asked, "Eunuch Dai, I wonder why the saint is looking for me this time?"

Dai Quan saw that there was no one around, so he lowered his voice and said, "The three Khalkha princes and the Hutuktu have all arrived. I don't know where the three princes got the news, but they begged the saint to set up a wool spinning mill on the grassland."

"Ah?" Li Weijian said with a smile, "My Lords, you may have misunderstood. Not all wool can be spun into thread."

There was no sign of chemical industry at that time. Short wool could only be used to make felt, and long wool was valuable for textiles. As for blending, it was nonsense, as it required the support of the oil industry.

Dai Quan said with a smile, "Master Li, don't underestimate those people. Perhaps they learned about the benefits of wool from Qinghai, and they bought breeding sheep from Bukhara. I'm afraid that in a few years, those woolly sheep will be in large numbers."

Li Weijian was slightly surprised, then smiled and said, "That's a good thing."

"It is indeed a good thing," Dai Quan said with a smile, "That is why the Saint sought advice from Lord Li."

Although the current saint, Emperor Zhenghe, has a somewhat contradictory temperament, he is not a fool. Since the time of Emperor Taizong Li Guo, Dashun has formed an alliance with the various Mongol tribes in an attempt to break the alliance between Manchuria and Mongolia. Later, the army went to Liaodong to sweep the land and for the stability of the border, many emperors of previous dynasties had strategies to appease the Mongols.

Either opening a market or granting rice. A careful calculation shows that for the stability of the northern border, the imperial court has to spend millions of silver coins on the grassland every year, but the return is almost zero.

Once this wool spinning business is launched, it is possible that the trade between the grassland and Dashun will be balanced in a few years, and Dashun will no longer need continuous transfusions.

Another more important point is that since raising long-wool sheep is very profitable, the various tribes on the grassland will naturally compete to raise sheep. With more sheep, there will naturally be fewer horses, and maybe the border will be more peaceful.

In addition, the saints supported Hutuktu and used the Yellow Sect to govern the hearts of the people on the grassland. If this continues for a long time, it is possible that the grassland will only be able to sing and dance in the future.

When he got near the palace, Li Weijian straightened his clothes and thought about how he would perform in response to the emperor later.

Dai Quan went in first, then came out and said with a smile, "Master Li, please come in."

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

Xiangshan Yuyuan.

Ping Er led Fu Qiufang inside. Fu Qiufang glanced at Sister Feng and was immediately surprised. She asked, "How come Second Sister-in-law has lost so much weight?"

When Feng Jieer gave birth to a daughter, Jia Lian came to visit her the next day, and then he came again and disappeared. Feng Jieer was worried and had a lot of random thoughts. She had no appetite and could not sit or lie down. Didn't she lose a lot of weight? Now even her cheekbones were protruding a little.

Feng Jieer was on the tip of her tongue, but couldn't bring herself to say it. She only said, "When I was pregnant with Second Sister, I took too much nourishment. And during the confinement period, I couldn't eat those irritating foods. Didn't I lose weight? The confinement period will be over in the next few days. It will be over soon. Then I can eat and drink as much as I want."

Fu Qiufang took the bundle from the maid, opened it, and found two tanned white fox skins inside. She said, "My master sent a cart of furs home, saying that most of them were hunted by himself, and he also asked a nearby craftsman to tan them. Let's see if he can make a coat and knee pads for my second sister-in-law."

Feng Jieer didn't know that it was Daiyu who ordered Fu Qiufang to deliver it. She just thought that Fu Qiufang received instructions from Li Weijian. She felt relieved and said with a smile: "It's hard for Brother Jian to still miss you. When Brother Jian comes back, I will thank him sincerely."

The two of them talked about child-rearing for a while. Because Sister Feng was still in confinement after giving birth, Fu Qiufang couldn't stay for long, so she said goodbye and left after a while.

It was already the end of August, and Feng Jieer was about to leave the confinement. Ping Er sent Fu Qiufang off, and when she came back, she said to Feng Jieer, "Madam was in a critical condition earlier, and the midwife said it was best to stay in the confinement for two months. Now the bone joints have not closed yet, why are you in such a hurry to leave the confinement?"

Sister Feng sneered and said, "If I don't leave the confinement period, I'm afraid I'll really become the old mistress."

In nearly a month, Jia Lian only came twice in a perfunctory manner. Even Amber, who was by the old lady's side, came more often than Jia Lian. How could Sister Feng not be suspicious?
Ping'er saw that she could not persuade him, so she could only sigh.

After a while, a maid came back and said that Feng'er had returned.

Feng Jieer ordered, "Send her to see me." After a while, Feng Er came in, greeted her politely, and then told her everything he had heard.

"Grandma, Aunt You's mother, sister, and Grandma Zhen would come to visit from time to time. Qiu Tong had a quarrel with the third sister, and was slapped in the face by the third sister. I heard that she didn't dare to block the door and curse since then, and only gossiped in private."

"Second Master didn't visit Aunt You very often. He was busy looking for Yao Tao to serve him every day. Sometimes he wasn't at home, but he must have made an appointment with someone to go to Third Sister's place to play. But he went less often in the past few days. I heard that Third Sister You had driven someone away. It seems that she found a way to make a living and is going to Jiangnan."

"Living, what kind of living?" asked Sister Feng.

The maid Feng'er said, "I heard from the maids around Grandma Zhen that the cannery of the Xue family seems to be unsalable. The third sister invited some Mongolian princes and sons a few days ago, and sold a lot of cans at a banquet. The commission alone was a full 200 taels of silver. The third sister You got the benefit and became interested. She wants to go to Jiangnan to expand sales."

Holding the teacup, Feng Jieer thought secretly, among all the people in the You family, Old Lady You only knew how to curry favor, Mrs. You was a widow living in Rong Mansion and usually dared not speak out, Second Sister You was of a weak character, and only Third Sister You was not easy to mess with. She would have fewer troubles this time.

But how did Third Sister You get connected with the Xue family? Sister Feng asked, "How did Third Sister You know the Xue family?"

Feng Er pouted and said, "What else can we do? Master Xue always comes to play with Master Qiang, and eventually he gets close to Master Lian, and he often goes to Third Sister You's place."

It turned out that Xue Pan got to know You Sanjie through Jia Lian, and because of this, he brought You Sanjie and Baochai together.

Sister Feng was thinking about it, and Feng Er waited for a moment before continuing, "There is another matter. It seems that the Second Master is going to Ping'an Prefecture again recently."

Sister Feng came back to her senses and asked, "Why are you going again?"

This was not something Feng Er could know, so he just shook his head and said, "I heard that the Second Master might not return until the twelfth lunar month this time."

Sister Feng put down her teacup, frowned and thought deeply, and kept knocking on the table with her delicate fingers. After a long while, Sister Feng suddenly said, "Call Wang Xin."

Wang Xin was Feng Jieer's chambermaid, originally in charge of the affairs of the manor. At first, Feng Jieer trusted Lai Wang and his wife, but because Lai Wang evaded responsibility and concealed the matter of You Erjie, Feng Jieer became dissatisfied and began to use Wang Xin instead.

Wang Xin was still at the manor at this time, so he naturally did not come here on purpose. It was not until the next day that Wang Xin hurried over.

Feng Jieer was still in confinement and could not see visitors, so she sent Ping Er to pass the message back and forth. Wang Xin received the order and went to find the whereabouts of Zhang Hua.

Everyone knew about You Erjie's affairs. She already had a husband. Her son-in-law was only 19 years old. He spent all his time whoring and gambling, neglecting his job and squandering all his family property. His father kicked him out and he now lives in a casino. Earlier this year, Jia Lian secretly married You Erjie, using coercion and bribery. Zhang Hua received 20 taels of silver and put the marriage on hold.

Wang Xin was a steady and prudent man, and he had heard everything clearly in two days. At this time, Feng Jieer had just come out of confinement and was finally able to see guests, so she met Wang Xin in Zhichun Hall.

Wang Xin lowered his hands and described Zhang Hua's situation one by one. At the end, he said, "It would be inappropriate if Madam came forward. If the Second Master knew about it, he would definitely become estranged from Madam."

Feng Jieer was originally disdainful in her heart, but then she thought about it and came up with an idea, so she immediately put the matter aside.

Two days later, the Jia family sent a carriage to pick up Sister Feng. After several months, Sister Feng finally returned home.

Feng Jieer went all the way to Rong Mansion and met the elders first. After seeing the second sister who was just one month old, Jia Mu and others kept comforting Feng Jieer, saying that the next baby would definitely be a boy.

Feng Jieer looked unconcerned and immediately took the child back to Yihong Courtyard. You Erjie, Qiutong, Yaotao and others came to greet them, and it was only then that Feng Jieer and You Erjie met.

Qiutong and Yaotao greeted each other first, and You Erjie smiled and hurriedly came forward to greet them. She said, "Sister, you are coming home. I didn't come to greet you. Please forgive me for my hasty behavior." Then she bowed. Fengjie hurriedly smiled and returned the greetings. The two of them went into the room hand in hand.

Feng Jieer entered the main room and took the seat. You Erjie hurriedly said, "I am young. Since I came here, all matters have been decided by my mother and sister. I am fortunate to meet you today. If you do not despise my humble status, I will ask for your guidance and instruction in everything. I will also serve you with all my heart." After saying this, she bowed and left.

Sister Feng hurriedly returned the greeting and ordered Ping'er to help You Erjie up and sit down.

After he sat down, Sister Feng spoke, "It was because of my opinion as a woman that I kept advising my husband to be cautious and not to sleep with other women outside, fearing that it would cause worry to his parents. This is the infatuation of you and me, but Second Master misunderstood my intention. The matter of sleeping with other women may be hidden from me; previously, marrying my sister as the second wife was a big event, and it was also a big ceremony, but I was never told. I also advised Second Master to do this ceremony early in order to prepare for childbirth. I didn't expect Second Master to think that I was a jealous woman, so I did this big thing privately without telling him. I have a grievance that I can't complain to, but only heaven and earth can forgive me. Now that my sister has come home and is pregnant, I will ask Second Master to marry me with a big ceremony tomorrow when I finish mourning."

You Erjie had heard You Sanjie say that Feng Jie was not a good person to get along with, so she was worried. When You Erjie saw her, she thought she was a very good person. She thought that all the rumors were just the result of a villain slandering his master, so she opened her heart to her and talked for a while, and she even regarded Feng Jie as her confidant.

Feng Jie asked around a bit, and when she heard that You Erjie only had two maids brought in from outside, she immediately frowned and said, "There's no one familiar with this family, and I'm afraid they'll be treated harshly by those who are greedy for wealth. How can we do that? I happen to have a maid named Shan Jie by my side, why don't we go over and listen to your orders?"

You Erjie was grateful and could not refuse, so she had to accept it.

At this time, You Erjie was about four months pregnant, and her belly was slightly bulging. Seeing this, Feng Jie said, "You are all women, and my sister is pregnant now. She dare not overwork herself." She immediately ordered Ping'er to send her back.

After You Erjie left, Yao Tao, the newcomer, acted like a quail, just looking around furtively, and now hurriedly asked to leave. Only Qiu Tong, because she had previously lived in the eldest master's room, had initially gained some respect in front of Feng Jieer, so she said, "Madam is finally back, I have a lot to say to you."

Feng Jieer wanted to use Qiu Tong, so how could she be willing to argue with her? She said, "I know you are upset, but I just think you are young and ignorant. She is the second wife now, the one your second master likes, and I will give her some leeway. If you go to confront her head-on, aren't you courting death?"

Qiu Tong was angry and shouted, "Grandma was married to you in a formal ceremony. How can those whores who were raped and married and no man wants them compare to you?"

Feng Jieer immediately laughed bitterly and said, "There are many people outside who favor concubines over wives, and who put their first-line wives first. Isn't it all based on the master's will? If I pretend to be deaf and dumb, I can still lead my two sisters to stay at home safely. If I confront him head-on, the Second Master may kick me out one day."

Qiu Tong was young and hot-tempered, and she immediately gritted her teeth and cursed: "Grandma has many concerns, but I am young and fearless. I don't believe that this kind of man who raped me first and then married me can take my strength!"

At that moment Qiu Tong went away with a clatter. Feng Jieer thought about it for a while, and hurriedly called Feng Er, whispered to her for a few words, and gave her a hairpin, and Feng Er happily accepted the order and left.

At noon that day, after serving the old lady, Sister Feng came out with Mrs You. Mrs You had something to hide, so she walked with Sister Feng to the vicinity of the large painted screen wall and said, "We haven't seen each other for a while, why don't we go in and chat?"

I thought that Feng Jieer, with her cold face, would refuse, but unexpectedly she agreed without hesitation, which made Youshi groan inwardly.

After entering the inner chamber, You Shi had just ordered the maid to serve tea, when she turned around and spat in Feng Jie's face, saying, "No one wants your You family's maid, so you secretly send her to the Jia family! Are all the people in the Jia family good people? Are there no men left in the world? Even if you are willing to give her away, you still need three matchmakers and six witnesses, and everyone must explain it in a proper way.

You are so confused by phlegm and so blinded by fat! You have to be filial to your country and your family, so you sent someone here. If someone sues us now, I am a fool, and even the officials know that I am jealous!

"When the Ning Mansion was in trouble, it was me who begged the old lady for help, and that's how you got to where you are today. I've done everything wrong, but why are you trying to harm me like this? Or did the old lady or the madam have something on your mind, so you set this trap to squeeze me out?"

Youshi was in the wrong and just kept complaining, but Fengjie would never listen. She had been feeling depressed for months and now she was letting it all out.

Sister Feng rolled into Youshi's arms, howling and wailing loudly, saying, "I am not angry about letting your brother marry. Why should he disobey my order and betray his marriage, and bear the bad name for me? Let's just go to see the officials, so as to avoid the constables and police coming to arrest us. Besides, let's just go and see the old lady, the first lady and all the relatives. After they have agreed that I am not virtuous and do not allow my husband to marry or buy a concubine, just give me a letter of divorce and I will leave immediately.

Your sister has been brought home now, and now she lives in the garden with plenty of food and clothing. I originally said that everyone would behave themselves and I would not mention the past. But who knew she had someone else again. I don't know what you have done, and I know nothing about it!"

You Shi was in the wrong and had no way to say anything. She could only use Jia Qiang as an excuse and curse him, "It's all because of Brother Qiang! He's a heartless person who will be struck by lightning and torn apart by ghosts! He doesn't know how high the sky is or how thick the earth is. He always stirs up trouble at home and does such shameless, lawless and ruinous things! Next time I see him, I will definitely avenge my anger on my sister!"

While saying this, Youshi had made up her mind that she would no longer have any contact with Jia Qiang, lest Sister Feng report it to the old lady, and she would not be able to get along with her.

Feng Jieer threw a tantrum, but when she saw that the time had come, she wiped her tears, threw the teacup, and went back angrily.

On the other side, Feng'er, following Fengjie's instructions, quietly went to find Qiutong and whispered to her about the matter between You Erjie and Zhang Hua.

Qiu Tong was surprised after hearing this and said, "If that's the case, how can grandma still tolerate that whore?"

Feng Er said, "Second Master is in pain as if he were your eyeball, what can Grandma do?"

Qiu Tong sneered, thinking that she had something against You Erjie. She immediately spent some money and asked a servant who was on leave at home to go and look for Zhang Hua.

The servant found Zhang Hua in the casino and persuaded him to report to the police and sue Jia Lian and You Erjie. Although Zhang Hua liked whoring and gambling, he was not a fool. How could he dare to provoke Rongguo Mansion? Moreover, he would not do such a thankless task.

Seeing that his persuasion was ineffective, the servant went back to find Qiu Tong to report back. But as soon as the servant left, a young man found Zhang Hua, stuffed fifty silver dollars into his pocket, and said, "Just go and report the case. Someone will take care of it for you. You will get a lot of benefits after the case is resolved."

Zhang Hua was hesitant, but unexpectedly the casino pressed him for debt repayment, so he had no choice but to agree temporarily.

(End of this chapter)