Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 200: Secret Love

Yuanyang went away for a while and then came back, saying, "The Third Master is not at home today. The maid said that he was invited to the Fifth Army Camp training ground by the people from the Zhongjing Marquis' Mansion early in the morning.

It seems like he should be back soon. I have already left a message for the Third Master's maid to come to Rongqing Hall to meet the guests when he returns."

Grandmother Jia was surprised and asked, "Why are the two of them together?"

Mrs. Li, the wife of the Marquis of Zhongjing, knew her master's affairs and said:
"My dear aunt, you may not know that the newly modified muskets are being tested at the Fifth Army Training Ground today, and the modification method of these muskets was thought up by your brother Cong."

Mrs. Wang, who was listening nearby, felt strange. She thought this boy was weird. What was he learning all day long? He even knew these things. And now the Marquis Zhongjing of the Shi family was so close to him.

She looked again and saw that he was staring at Baochai's son with a look of infatuation and admiration, and she couldn't help feeling worried.

Aunt Xue smiled and said, "I have heard that Cong can manipulate these things. He used a musket to wipe out a group of Japanese in Nanjing. They were murderous people.

More than ten families of innocent people in Jinling City were massacred by them, but it was your brother Cong who was wiped out. Look at how old he is, and this matter is spreading all over Jinling City.

This is the first time I have heard of such an amazing child among all the old relatives. The old lady is so lucky to have raised such a grandson who is both handsome and talented in both literature and martial arts. "

After all, Aunt Xue had just arrived and didn't know the current situation in the Rongguo Mansion, otherwise she would never have praised Jia Cong so much in front of Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang.

Baochai, who was standing by, heard her mother's words and thought of the figure she met on the road. Her pair of eyes, as bright and beautiful as water apricots, lit up with a hint of spirit.

But she was a very intelligent person after all, and she noticed in a moment that the atmosphere was a little strange. The old lady and her aunt looked a little uncomfortable, an indescribable feeling.

Looking at the sisters of the Jia family standing next to them, when they heard their mother talking about Jia Cong, they all had smiles on their faces, and seemed quite proud of the honor.

This brother Cong must be very much loved by these sisters, but I don’t know why the old lady and aunt have such expressions.

In a blink of an eye, she saw brother Bao staring at her, her face turned red, she lowered her head, and slightly tilted her body.

As clever and perceptive as Baochai is, she can guess the ups and downs of the voices and expressions in the hall with just a few glances. Although Daiyu and Tanchun are also extremely smart, they are different when compared to each other.

At this moment, Jin Chuan, the maidservant beside Mrs. Wang, came over and told her that the second master had met Master Xue and that his concubine was old and his nephew was young, and they did not know how the world worked, so if they lived outside, trouble might arise.

There were seven or eight empty rooms in Lixiangyuan in the northeast corner. After they were cleaned, they were perfect for the concubine and her brothers and sisters to live in.

Grandmother Jia is a person who likes to be lively. Aunt Xue has a kind face and speaks in a considerate and pleasant way, which pleases the old lady very much. Baochai is an extremely outstanding daughter, so naturally she has no objection to her son's arrangements.

Mrs. Wang also felt that the master was only concerned about his own face, so she smiled even more.

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "Lixiangyuan is a very suitable place. It was the place where the old Duke lived in honor of his parents. Next to Lixiangyuan is Qingzhizhai, the residence of the Cong brothers. It is also convenient for the sisters to visit each other."

After hearing this, Aunt Xue and Baochai both thanked Grandmother Jia. The Xue family was not short of money, but their son was a troublemaker after all. The Jia family was a big family in the capital, so living there as a guest would give them some support in the capital.

In fact, the northeast corner of the Jia Mansion is only suitable for temporary residence of relatives and guests because of its remote location.

It was normal for Aunt Xue's family to be arranged there, but it was abnormal for Jia Cong to also live there given his status as a descendant of the Jia family.

Back then, Wang Xifeng arranged Jia Cong to live in Qingzhizhai because it was located in the northeast corner of the Jia Mansion. It was just outside the back corner door of the mansion and was far away from Rongqingtang, so it would not cause trouble to Lady Jia.

But after hearing what Aunt Feng said, Baoyu felt a little envious of Jia Cong and wished he could move to Qingzhizhai.

At this time, the maid outside reported that Master Cong had returned home and came to Rongqing Hall to meet the guests after hearing the message.

Daiyu and other sisters couldn't help but look towards the warm curtain.

Baochai could not help turning her head to look, and saw Jia Cong walk into the hall and greet Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang first.

He still looked the same as when he was in Jinling, with his black hair neatly combed into a bun and pinned with a white jade hairpin, and his eyebrows and eyes were still beautiful. He wore a moon-white arrow-sleeve with silver bamboo patterns, a dark blue flower-fringe jacket, a lotus-patterned satin belt around his waist, and blue satin and powder-bottomed court boots. Every move he made had a refined air.

Although her clothes were not as gorgeous as Baoyu's, her elegant bearing and refined demeanor were incomparable to Baoyu's.

Looking at his clothes and shoes, the stitching is delicate and the fit is perfect, which makes him look even more handsome. He must have someone who is very good at sewing serving him. His position in the mansion should be quite high. Why did the old lady and aunt have those expressions just now?

Jia Cong greeted Aunt Xue and Baochai again, and Aunt Xue talked about the affairs of Jinling.

Daiyu, Tanchun and other sisters only found out that the third brother and Bao sister had known each other in Jinling, but they had never heard him mention it.

The poem "Man Jiang Hong" written by the third brother was dedicated to her, and by chance, it became famous in Jinling.

After hearing this, Baoyu couldn't help feeling jealous. He only regretted that he didn't have the ability to write lyrics, otherwise he would have been very proud to give this beautiful lady like Bao a poem.

Tanchun and the others were somewhat envious. Although the third brother was good at writing lyrics, they had never heard that he wrote for anyone specifically.

Only Daiyu was considerate and often talked to Zhishao and Wu'er to relieve her boredom these days. She knew that her third brother had written a poem for Zhishao called "I Will Not Let Down Tathagata, I Will Not Let Down You", which was very touching and lingering to read and could be passed down through the generations.

However, Zhishao is a maid who grew up with the third brother. Back then, the third brother lived in the East Courtyard in a very difficult situation, and only Zhishao accompanied him to suffer. She was not even afraid of death for the third brother.

With this kind of friendship, no matter how good the third brother is to her, it is all he should do. They also had that kind of experience, and it was naturally fate that the third brother could write such a poem for her.

But Third Brother and Baochai had only met a few times in Jinling, so why did he write lyrics specifically for her? He couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.

Moreover, there was something wrong with the way Baochai looked at her third brother. Daiyu recalled the naughty words she had said in the Muni Courtyard that day, and it turned out to be true.

……

From then on, the Xue family moved into Lixiang Courtyard, and they talked to Mrs. Wang privately to waive all daily expenses, which was the normal way of doing things.

Mrs. Wang knew that the Xue family was a wealthy family and had no shortage of these daily necessities, so naturally she had everything she wanted.

There is a door in Lixiang Courtyard that leads to the street, for outsiders like Xue Pan to enter and exit. Only a corner door in the southwest leads to the inner house, for Aunt Xue and Baochai to enter and exit the inner house.

Qingzhizhai and Lixiangyuan are adjacent to each other. Baochai saw that Jia Cong got up at dawn every day and stayed indoors to read during the day, because the autumn examination would be held in the middle of this year.

Jia Cong would only go out after dinner every day to talk in his sisters' rooms, or the sisters would go to Qingzhizhai together to visit.

He was also seen taking his maid to Luocang Mountain for classes every few days, and he often came back after four or five days, because the famous Master Liu lived in Luocang Mountain.

After living in the Jia Mansion for some time, Baochai naturally heard about Jia Cong's past from other people. She knew that his biological mother was of humble origin and that he had lived a very miserable life in the Jia family since childhood and almost died.

It was only by studying hard and obtaining the first place in the imperial examination that he was able to gain a foothold in the Jia family. It was also by making great contributions in Jinling that he won an imperial decree for his deceased mother.

Baochai then understood why the old lady and her aunt had such expressions when they heard her mother praising him that day in Rongqing Hall. It was the embarrassment of not recognizing a pearl.

I recalled the first time I saw him in the old house in Jinling.

As beautiful as jade, with unparalleled elegance.

But behind such a magnificent appearance, there are so many bitterness and sufferings hidden, and my heart is filled with indescribable tenderness and admiration.

However, he never came to visit Lixiangyuan alone, and only came twice with his sisters, which made him feel a little disappointed.

Baoyu often came to Lixiangyuan to talk to her. He looked leisurely and wealthy, which was very different from the ascetic monk in Qingzhizhai who studied and was self-disciplined.

(End of this chapter)