Red Mansion Huacai

Chapter 368 Getting sick
While Daiyu was speaking, Baoqin, who was below, had already received the message. She dropped her kite and went forward to meet them.

Seeing her running like crazy, the fourth girl Xichun said, "Mistress Sister Lin doesn't like to discipline people, but she has spoiled Sister Qin to the point where she is becoming even more unruly."

Daiyu smiled and said, "They are all spoiled by their parents in the boudoir. Put yourself in her shoes, why should I deliberately treat Qiao harshly? As long as she doesn't break the rules, everything is up to her." As she spoke, her eyes glanced at Xing Xiuyun seemingly inadvertently, obviously hinting at something.

Xing Xiuyan's face flushed slightly, and she stammered without saying a word. Fortunately, everyone was laughing at Baoqin's ugliness and no one was looking at her, otherwise they would have noticed something was wrong.

Xing Xiuyan wanted to ask about Li Weijian's situation, but before he could open his mouth, the third lady Tanchun asked, "Will Fourth Brother Jian return at 3 pm today?"

Before Daiyu could reply, Zijuan said, "Master has been coming back late these days, but I don't know when he came back today."

Daiyu smiled and said, "Don't worry about them. We have finally established a society. This Peach Blossom Society must be better than the Begonia Society."

The sisters agreed one after another, and immediately picked up their pens to write down all the poems in their minds.

Baoqin walked quickly into the front hall. When she entered, she saw the butler Wu Haiping talking to his brother Xue Ke, who was in casual clothes.

Baoqin looked at him carefully and saw that his brother had become darker and thinner. She couldn't help but feel distressed. She immediately came over and asked, "When did you return to Beijing?"

Wu Haiping was very perceptive and left immediately. Xue Ke smiled and said, "I just entered the city at nightfall yesterday."

Baoqin asked angrily, "Why don't you take a rest?"

Xue Ke said, "Now the canal from Tianjin to Tongzhou is smooth, and with the help of a small steamer, the boat can leave in the morning and arrive in the evening. It seems that the journey from Tongzhou to the capital takes longer. The supervision of the factory was a little difficult at first, but now it is on the right track, so I don't have to take care of it. I sent a letter to the Lord last month, and he transferred me back to the capital to do the job."

Baoqin heard about this from Li Weijian, and immediately said with a smile: "Yes, Fourth Brother also praised Brother for being cautious and appropriate. It was not because of the age difference that he was wrong. Brother's contribution this time should be upgraded to a higher level."

Xue Ke shook his head repeatedly and said, "I know my own business. It's not easy to move up without even any fame."

Xue Ke is now a seventh-rank assistant supervisor, and the next level up is a seventh-rank principal, but how old is he? At this age, he is already a seventh-rank official. If Li Weijian hadn't been watching over him, he would have been hated by others.

After a pause, Xue Ke continued, "I met with the uncle this afternoon, but I was still worried about my sister, so I came here early this morning to check on her. Are you... okay?"

Baoqin smiled and said, "Of course it's all good. Fourth brother dotes on me, and Sister Lin doesn't restrict me. I was still flying a kite just now."

Xue Ke said sternly: "Although you are young, you should not be arrogant because of your favor."

Baoqin agreed, "Don't worry, brother. I can save it."

The brother and sister talked for a while, and Xue Ke became more calm and only said a few words about himself before stopping. On the contrary, Baoqin chattered non-stop. She said that when she was born last year, Li Weijian gave her a cat-shaped alarm clock, and Baoqin loved it very much. However, this thing was newly made and was very inappropriate. It broke in just a dozen days.

Li Weijian wanted to replace Baoqin with a new one, but Baoqin was a long-lasting lover. She only begged Li Weijian to find someone to repair it a few times. Unexpectedly, it would have been fine if it had not been repaired. After a few repairs, it has become a fake. The alarm clock was set at 12:00 a.m., and it kept ringing in the middle of the night;
She also said that during the New Year, merits were rewarded. This year, Baoqin had done a great job in looking after the accounts, so Daiyu gave Baoqin a lot of money. Even without the dowry, Baoqin would not lack money for herself now.
Then he said that during the Lantern Festival, Li Weijian took his sisters to the West Sea for a stroll. Unfortunately, the capital was not like Nanjing, and the lake had not thawed in the first month of the year, so they could not set off river lanterns.

"Yes, Fourth Brother said he would take us to Xiangshan for an outing in a few days. If you have time, why don't you go with us?"

Xue Ke smiled and shook his head.

Baoqin opened her mouth, but stopped herself from speaking. Xue Ke was now old enough to get married, but as a younger sister, it was not easy for her to bring up the matter. She might as well go back and talk to her fourth brother.

Xue Ke was drinking tea with his head down, frowning slightly, looking very worried. Baoqin was about to ask about it when she heard a lot of noise outside. She looked up and saw Wu Haiping leading more than 20 people from the Hui Troupe into the room from the corner gate.

Xue Ke also saw it and couldn't help asking, "There is a happy event today, why did you invite a troupe of actors?"

Baoqin laughed and said, "Sister Lin felt bored and thought of the poetry club again. In addition, the third sister of Rong Mansion was giving birth to a child, so she invited a troupe to liven up the party."

"So that's how it is," Xue Ke put down his teacup and said, "Then go and play, sister. I'll go straight to the government office to find the uncle and report back this afternoon."

Baoqin was reluctant to leave, but she agreed, and then sent Xue Ke out the second door before returning. She was thoughtful, and when she walked back, she frowned and said, "Brother seems to be worried."

Xiao He smiled and said, "Second Master has reached the age now, who knows which girl he has chosen."

Baoqin laughed and scolded, "You are full of nonsense. Brother is a very polite person, but he can't do the things that the talented scholar and the beautiful lady in the storybook do."

At that moment, Baoqin went into Huifang Garden, found all the sisters and quickly confessed her anger. She also punished herself by drinking three cups and reciting two peach blossom poems, and was finally let go by the laughing sisters. At noon, a banquet was held, and everyone, starting with Li Wan, ordered opera excerpts in turn. For a while, they drank, laughed, and watched the singing, which was really very uncomfortable.

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

Xue Ke left Jinglingbo's house and took a carriage back to his home. When the carriage arrived at his home, before he could get off, a servant came rushing over and said anxiously, "Second Master is finally back. In the main room--"

Xue Ke suddenly stared at the servant, who immediately covered his mouth and looked around. Seeing that no one was paying attention, he lowered his voice and said, "Miss Baogui from the eldest room is here again!"

Baogui was Xia Jingui's maidservant who came with her as a dowry. She had an ordinary appearance, a pair of noble eyes, and her words were usually very unpleasant to the ear.

Xue Ke frowned when he heard this. He thought that Xia Jingui must have left someone to watch over the house. He had just returned, and Xia Jingui had sent someone to tell him that Aunt Xue was worried about him. Xue Pan was also worried about him, so he asked Xue Ke when he could go to the Xue family.

Oh, the second branch of the Xue family had already broken up with the first branch a long time ago. Xia Jingui's words were just to fool people. Who doesn't know what she was thinking? It's a pity that Xue Ke didn't check it for a while and fell into the trap. Now it's too late to regret it.

Xue Ke did not say anything at the moment. He frowned and went inside. He saw Bao Gui eating watermelon seeds. When he saw Xue Ke coming in, he quickly threw away the seeds and stood up and bowed: "Greetings, Second Master..."

Xue Ke waved his hand, sat down and said, "If you have something to say, just say it directly. There's no need to beat around the bush."

Baogui said, "When we heard that the Second Master had returned, our grandmother was very happy, saying that the Second Master might have been promoted this time. She also said that if the Second Master was free, he would come home; if he was not free, our grandmother would go to the government office to look for the Second Master."

The threat was obvious in his words. Xue Ke said angrily, "Just ask my sister-in-law to file a complaint with the government. She has no evidence. How can I be afraid of her?"

But Baogui said calmly: "Our grandmother said that the second master was careless last time and seemed to have left a lot of personal belongings at home-"

Xue Ke then remembered that the jade pendant and handkerchief he had worn since childhood had been hidden by Xia Jingui last time. At that time, Xue Ke was only concerned with running away in a panic, and when he failed to get the jade pendant and handkerchief back, he ran away in a hurry.

Thinking of this, Xue Ke sighed and said, "Forget it, I will go to my brother's house in a few days."

Baogui smiled and said, "Grandma said that if Second Master has time on the sixth day of the first lunar month, he should go to Baoning Temple to worship Buddha. It will always be beneficial."

There was another blessing, and then he took his leave.

As soon as the man left the house, Xue Ke smashed the teacup in anger. For a moment, he was upset and had no one to talk to, and he didn't know what to do.

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Xidan Archway.

laugh--

As the train stopped, a large cloud of steam was released, mixed with the smell of coal smoke, which made people frown. Li Weijian bowed and said, "Please move, Your Majesty."

King Zhongyong was not in a hurry to get on the car, but stared at the front of the car for a long time. The front of the car was only the size of two carriages, with a round boiler in the front and an open driver's cabin in the back. The driver looked like the Kitchen God, with coal dust all over his face. The boilerman next to him stared at the pressure gauge and kept filling the stove with coal.

King Zhongyong looked at it and said, "Compared to last month, there doesn't seem to be any changes?"

Li Weijian was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, and said, "The changes were made to invisible places. I tried it out over the past few days and saw that the faults have been reduced a lot, so I asked Your Majesty to come and inspect it again." The Loyal and Brave King nodded and said, "Then go up and take a look."

There were only three carriages attached to the back of the train. Since steel was always more expensive than wood at that time, except for the chassis, the remaining semi-open carriages were all made of wood, and a tarpaulin roof was built on top to provide shade.

King Zhongyong thought the smell of coal smoke was too choking, so he chose the last carriage, and the remaining officials of the inner court crowded in the front. Li Weijian gave the order, and after a long while, the carriage shook violently and slowly started to move.

The small train went north along the Xidan Archway, gradually accelerating with a grunt.

King Zhongyong frowned at first and said, "I'm afraid it's not much faster than an ox cart."

After traveling for a while, the speed of the car gradually increased. Li Weijian estimated that it was about 20 kilometers per hour. At this time, the loyal and brave king became serious and said, "This thing is good. It is very convenient for transporting supplies. But the price is-"

Li Weijian consoled him, "Your Highness, this investment may benefit you for hundreds of years to come. It's still worthwhile if you do the math."

King Zhongyong still shook his head and said, "It's too expensive, too expensive."

Last year, the production capacity of the Leting Iron Works exploded, and the steel output increased directly from 6,000 tons to 13,000 tons. 13,000 tons of steel output is not surprising in the future. Any small factory will have an annual output of millions of tons, but don't forget what time it was.

In the middle of the 18th century, Dashun's steel output of 13,000 tons was unique in the world. Not to mention England, even the whole of Europe put together did not produce as much as Dashun.

Li Weijian sighed upon hearing this. The lightest one-meter steel rail weighs 40 kilograms, and the standard rail weighs 60 kilograms. By this calculation, it would take 240 tons of steel to build one kilometer of secondary railway, not counting the other expenses such as sleepers.

The construction of the railway from Tianjin to the capital alone would cost more than 7 million silver dollars!

After a while, the train slowly slowed down and arrived at its terminus, Banqiao Hutong. It was only a little over three kilometers from Xidan.

The loyal and brave king seemed to be still unsatisfied and did not get up for a long time, as if he was considering and weighing the options. After a long while, he said to Li Weijian: "The fleet will go to Tianjin in May and will arrive in late June. The imperial court has a little more money this year, and I will report to the emperor that the railway from Tianjin to the capital must be built first."

"Your Majesty is wise."

General Yue Zhongqi crossed the snow-capped mountains and arrived in Brunei. After a month of rest, he sent troops to attack the remnants of the Junggar bandits. In the past two years, he has won every battle. The Dashun and Junggar bandits fought fiercely, but the Sindhu state suffered. First, they were robbed by the Junggar bandits, and then they were asked for military pay by the Dashun. It was really miserable.

However, the English who arrived earlier saw something was wrong, so they gathered together the French, Portuguese and other bandits, secretly instigating pirates to harass the vicinity of Dashun.

Dashun was not a country that closed itself off from the outside world. Even if its navy was not as good as that of the Western Barbarians, it was still top-notch in East Asia. After a chaotic battle, Qi Jianhui wiped out most of the pirates in one battle and gained a great reputation. He then submitted another memorial, saying that Dashun had a vast sea border and such a small navy was still too weak.

Li Weijian took the opportunity to exaggerate, saying that this time they were only harassing Quanzhou, and what would happen if they harassed Tianjin and Dashun in the future?

Later, a merchant general from the Dashun Sea reported the inside story to the emperor, who was furious and immediately issued an order to Yue Zhongqi, ordering him to attack the Western barbarians including the English.

When Yue Zhongqi received the letter, he really turned around and eliminated the English strongholds along the coast. The East India Company could not bear it and had to send envoys to ask for peace. Then there was the incident of impersonating an envoy. It is not known how the court will deal with it, but I am afraid there will be more disputes.

The loyal and brave king said nothing more and hurriedly led his people back. Li Weijian was about to go to the military academy when he suddenly saw two carriages coming with a familiar figure on horseback. Looking carefully, wasn't this person Jia Lian?

He wanted to go over and say hello, but he saw the carriage stopped by the imperial guards. Then a brown-haired, blue-eyed foreign woman got out of the carriage. The foreign woman was covered up tightly, but most of her chest was exposed, which was dazzling. But Jia Lian got off the horse and came forward to chat and laugh with some playboys and the foreign woman.

After looking at the train from afar for a while, Jia Lian finally saw that Li Weijian was also there. He immediately apologized and strode over to find him.

"Brother Jian!"

"Brother Lian...when did you get involved with that foreign woman?"

Jia Lian was beaming with joy and said, "I couldn't resist my friend's request. I was treated to a banquet by the lady yesterday, and today I thought I would do my best to be a good host. Brother Jian, what are you doing?"

Li Weijian did not answer but asked instead, thinking: "Brother Lian... could it be that he is also the lover of that foreign woman? You must be careful not to get infected with a disease."

Jia Lian was stunned for a moment, and said awkwardly, "It was just a one-night stand, it's nothing serious."

Li Weijian sighed and said, "In short, Second Brother Lian, it's better to be careful."

Jia Lian didn't care at all and chatted with Li Weijian for a while. Seeing that the foreign woman was about to leave, he quickly apologized and turned around to chase after her.

On this day, Li Weijian returned to the inner government office and met Xue Ke in the afternoon. After hearing what Xue Ke said about the chemical plant, he was pleased and granted Xue Ke a ten-day vacation, saying that he would be arranged elsewhere. Seeing that Xue Ke was worried, Li Weijian asked about it, but Xue Ke just said that he was fine.

Li Weijian thought it was a private matter, so he did not ask any further questions. When he returned home that day, the banquet had already ended, and the troupe had left the mansion after receiving the reward money.

All the concubines drank wine, even Daiyu's face was flushed. Maybe because of the wine, Daiyu was more relaxed and said things that she usually couldn't say.

After Baoqin, Xiangling and others left, Daiyu said to Li Weijian in a stern voice, "How long do you plan to keep Miss Xing going, Brother?"

Li Weijian said with a wry smile: "What are you talking about, sister?"

Daiyu snorted softly, "Brother, do you think I don't know? In the past month, most of the lunch boxes were sent by Miss Xing. Are you still trying to deceive yourself?"

Li Weijian came over and pulled Daiyu's hand, saying, "I'm afraid you'll be unhappy."

Daiyu squinted her eyes and said, "Fourth brother is very tight-lipped. I wonder if he knows what Miss Xing said in private?"

Li Weijian was so surprised that he was speechless.

Daiyu said, "You two have known each other for a long time, and Miss Xing has a crush on you. In this case, Fourth Brother should choose a time to bring her home."

Li Weijian was delighted, but said, "There's no rush. I'm thinking I'll wait until Xiangyun gets married."

Daiyu laughed in anger and said, "Ms. Yun is only a little old. She must be of age before she can marry into the family. It will take another one or two years."

Li Weijian said, "Yes, my sister will be coming of age in a few days, so we have to have a good celebration."

Daiyu smiled but said nothing. Since she got married, Daiyu had gotten used to Li Weijian's occasional double-talk. At first, she was very angry, but after careful consideration, she realized that those double-talks were mostly out of consideration for her.

The couple was in love for a while. Daiyu was so annoyed that she was about to push Li Weijian to Zijuan and Xueyan when Qianxue came in hurriedly: "Master, Madam, the second mistress is coming to our house crying."

"what?"

Daiyu and Li Weijian looked at each other in amazement. They went out together to greet them. From a distance, they saw Sister Feng coming with tears in her eyes, and even Ping'er beside her had red eyes.

Daiyu came closer and asked hurriedly, "Sister Feng, what happened?"

Sister Feng cried, "God, I can't live like this anymore!"

On the side, Li Weijian asked Ping'er in a low voice, and Ping'er sobbed and whispered, "I just received a letter that the son of the Baoning Marquis's mansion has contracted a serious disease. I'm afraid... I'm afraid that the Second Master can't escape this time!"

Li Weijian was stunned when he heard this. What does it mean to say something that has come true? This is it!

(End of this chapter)