Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 329: A Beautiful and Beautiful Woman

Earl's Mansion, Yingchun Courtyard.

This is a courtyard built by the water, not far from the courtyard where Jia Cong lives. The water system of Huifang Garden flows around the outside of the courtyard.

Outside the courtyard, a clear stream meanders, a stone bridge appears, and on the bank there are green reed flowers and leaves. The clear waves stir the green lotus and fragrant water lilies, with pink stamens that are bright red, showing off their beauty.

In the courtyard there was a two-story building with three rooms, red beams and painted buildings, white walls and black tiles, which was very unique and exquisite.

Several pretty and graceful figures, talking and laughing, walked into the yard together.

Yingchun's luggage was not much, so it only took two horse-drawn carriages to transport it all. Jia Cong had already arranged for the newly bought servants to carry the luggage piece by piece into the new courtyard.

Xiu Ju didn't need Yingchun to worry about anything. She directed the people to open the boxes and cages that had been delivered, and put the various items in order. She did her job very efficiently and attentively.

Daiyu, Tanchun, Xiangyun, Baochai, Xichun and other sisters naturally saw Yingchun off to the East Palace. Looking at this splendid and elegant courtyard, they all had looks of joy and longing in their eyes.

There are too many elders in Xifu. Girls should behave properly and not speak too loudly. Although they don't have to be as exaggerated as not showing their teeth when smiling or not showing their feet when walking, there are still many taboos.

It's nothing like this Earl's Mansion. Jia Cong is the only brother of the same generation, and there is no elder to put pressure on him. How free he must be here.

Everyone was a little envious of Yingchun, and from now on their lives would surely be more peaceful and leisurely.

Tanchun was always forthright and cheerful, and she joked, "Third brother, I know you said it yourself in Rongqing Hall. If people outside don't know how precious Second Sister is;
You will support the second sister for the rest of her life, let her live a life of luxury and comfort, as a brother you can't be partial to one and not treat the other badly, and you can't let my third sister suffer."

As Tanchun spoke, she playfully pointed at herself and pointed at Jia Cong, which made her sisters laugh.

However, everyone knows that Tanchun and Jia Cong both love calligraphy, have similar interests, and have been close friends since childhood, so this kind of joke is common.

Jia Cong laughed and said, "You have a master and his wife above you, I dare not support you.

But my second sister is alone in the East Palace, and this place is very big, you can choose a place you like to live in, and you can come and accompany my second sister on a daily basis."

Tanchun's eyes sparkled with joy, "Third brother, please don't lie to me. When Second sister has sorted out the yard, I will find a good place to stay so that you won't regret it later."

Tanchun did not dare to hope that Jia Cong would support her like he did to his second sister for the rest of her life. After all, she was his biological sister. How could she possibly do that...

She was just worried about her third brother. From now on, he would move out of the house and live separately. The siblings would no longer be able to meet and chat with each other as usual.

Tanchun was naturally intelligent and clever, and always had a good mind, which was why she laughed just now. Fortunately, her third brother was a close friend, and his words were exactly what she wanted.

……

Jia Cong saw Daiyu and Xiangyun also looking at him, and Daiyu blinked at him with her beautiful eyes.

He smiled and said, "Of course, those who listen have a share. Most of the rooms in the mansion are empty. Sister Lin, Sister Xiangyun, and Sister Bao can choose a place they like. There is no need to be polite to me.

When I have time, I will build a small gate at the intersection of the two palaces, so that you can come here conveniently when you have time, just like we did in the West Palace before."

Baochai, who was standing by, looked on with some envy, but unlike Daiyu and Sanchun, she grew up with Jia Cong in the back garden and had a close relationship with him.

Although she is a relative of the Jia family, she has no blood relationship with Jia Cong's family. In fact, they are very distantly related. She came later, so she is not as close to Jia Cong as before.

Little Xichun, who was standing by, was not even ten years old yet. She was still romantic and innocent, and had not yet developed that aloof and cold temper. When she saw that her sisters all had places in this mansion, she couldn't help feeling a little anxious.

He hurriedly shouted: "Third brother, what about me? What about me?"

Jia Cong squatted down, pinched her little face, and said with a smile: "In our family, the younger the child, the more precious it is. The fourth sister is the youngest, and you naturally have everything that the elder sisters have.

You can choose where you like to live later."

……

Among the three sisters of the Jia family, Xichun is a special one and also the one with the most unfortunate life experience.

Girls from wealthy families have always been raised by their stepmothers. If their stepmothers are no longer alive, they will be raised by their grandmothers or grandmothers-in-law.

This is also the reason why Lin Ruhai sent Daiyu to the Jia Mansion after Daiyu's mother died, because there was no one else in Lin Ruhai's branch of the family except them father and daughter.

For Lin Ruhai, sending Daiyu to be raised by her grandmother was the best choice.

Moreover, Jia's mother was the wife of a duke from two noble families. Lin Ruhai asked her to raise Daiyu because he wanted to be a decent endorsement for his daughter's future. Xichun was actually in a similar situation to Daiyu. She was Jia Zhen's sister. In the past, the East Palace had a bad reputation because of Jia Zhen, and it was not suitable for raising a rich lady.

Xichun was cute since she was a child, and Grandmother Jia liked girls. It was only after Jia Jing's request that she took Xichun to her side to raise her.

However, Grandmother Jia's mind is all on outstanding grandchildren such as Baoyu, Daiyu and Tanchun. Like Xichun and Yingchun, her presence in the West Mansion is not strong.

Yingchun still has her biological father and stepmother at home. Although they almost ignore her, it is better than nothing.

Although Xichun was born into a legitimate family, her mother died early and her father abandoned the family to become a Taoist priest. In fact, it was as if both her parents were dead. She grew up in the West Mansion and had a very weak relationship with her father and brother.

Xichun does not have the gentleness of Yingchun. Instead, she is tough and arrogant. It is no surprise that she develops a lonely and eccentric personality when she grows up.

Later, Wang Shanbao's wife instigated a search of the Grand View Garden. Xichun's personal maid Ruhua was found to have hidden foreign money, and was driven out by Xichun without mercy.

Fortunately, Xichun is still young and her personality has not been suppressed to become eccentric. She is still just a little girl who is a little sensitive and ignorant.

Because Jia Cong knew what happened in the past, he felt a lot of pity for his fourth sister. No matter whether he went to Nanjing or Liaodong, he always remembered to bring a gift for Xichun when he came back.

Therefore, Xichun and her third brother get along very well.

Xichun waved her hands and said in a green voice, "I don't need to look for a courtyard. If I come here to play, I can just live with my second sister. It's warm in the winter and there are no mosquitoes in the summer."

Jia Cong and his sisters were curious after hearing this. It was easy to understand that they could sleep together to keep warm in the winter, but what about not being bitten by mosquitoes in the summer?

Tanchun was curious about Xichun's reason. Xichun held Yingchun's hand and smiled sweetly: "Second sister attracts mosquitoes. When I am with her, mosquitoes only bite her and won't bite me."

Jia Cong couldn't help laughing after hearing this. All the sisters were amused by her, and Shi Xiangyun even laughed so hard that she bent over.

……

Rongguo Mansion, Rongxi Hall.

Jia Zheng was receiving Liu Yong, the chief secretary of Prince Beijing.

According to the rules of the aristocratic family, only when Prince Beijing came in person would Jia Zheng, the owner of Rongguo Mansion, come out to receive him.

However, the chief secretary of the royal palace is of the fifth rank, and according to official etiquette, his family must also receive children of the same rank.

However, among the descendants of Rongguo Mansion, only Jia Cong was of the fifth rank and had his own residence. Liu Yong was visiting Rongguo Mansion, not the Earl's Mansion, so it was naturally inconvenient for Jia Cong to receive him.

Therefore, only Jia Zheng, a fifth-rank official, came out to receive them.

Liu Yong said: "Old Master, tomorrow a famous scholar from South Vietnam will come to visit the palace. He has mastered the essence of the culture of southern Zhejiang and is good at poetry and prose. Your Majesty knows that your son is a precious young man, a rising star, and a brilliant figure.

I specially invited you to go and meet friends."

Jia Zheng knew that last year, at the Autumn Chrysanthemum Poetry Meeting at Prince Beijing's mansion, some poems that were presumptuous had appeared, causing Prince Beijing to be somewhat embarrassed, but fortunately nothing serious had happened afterwards.

The Beijing Prince's Mansion has been keeping a low profile for the past six months. It no longer holds any literary gatherings, but just ordinary meetings with friends. Jia Zheng doesn't take it too seriously.

He glanced at Baoyu, who was sitting next to him, and saw that he looked rather nervous, and not magnanimous. He could not help but frown, but since there were outsiders present, it was not appropriate for him to show off his power.

"I am deeply grateful that Prince Beijing thinks highly of my son. He is young and inexperienced, so it is great for him to receive guidance from a great man. I will let him visit the palace tomorrow."

Liu Yong added, "Your Highness admires the unrivaled literary talent and elegant calligraphy of Brother Congshi of your family. Tomorrow we will meet friends through literature. I wonder if the old master could convey the message on your behalf and invite Brother Congshi to come with us."

Jia Zheng was stunned when he heard this. Although he was a bit pedantic by nature, he had been an official for so many years after all, and he was not a stupid person.

It was obvious at this point that Prince Beijing's invitation to Baoyu to his house to meet friends was just a drop in the ocean, and the real intention was to invite Congge'er.

Come to think of it, it's normal. Now that Cong is famous, it's normal for him to be respected and valued. It would be less of a worry if he goes, and it would help show the cultural and elegant style of our Jia family.

If we let Baoyu's evil deeds alone, he could not even finish reading the Four Books. If he met any famous scholar from Nanyue, he would be exposed after just a few words.

So, he sent someone to the East Palace to pass on the message.

(End of this chapter)