Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 601: Taking Advantage of the Situation to Climb the Relatives
Earl's Mansion, Jia Cong Courtyard.

A little girl with two buns, thin eyebrows and big eyes, wearing a soft silk rose-red dress, ran into the yard.

A clear voice shouted: "The Third Master has returned home, the Third Master has returned home."

At this time, in the main room, a beautiful figure was swaying in her skirt and hair, with her hairpins shining.

Yingchun, Daiyu, Tanchun, Xing Xiuyun, Xiangyun, Baochai, Xichun and other sisters were all there, standing or sitting in the main room, drinking tea or talking.

They all knew that the Imperial Examination was about to end, so they were all waiting for Jia Cong to return home, wondering how he had been doing over the past nine days and whether he had done well in the examination.

Zhishao, Wu'er, Qingwen, Yinglian and others, some were waiting in the main room, and some went to the backyard to prepare hot soup and clothes.

When everyone heard the clear shouting, they all looked happy. They stood up and walked to the door of the main room to look around.

Lingguan grabbed Douguan who rushed in and asked, "The Third Master has really returned home. Where is he now?"

Douguan smiled and said, "Just now I was strolling at the gate of the inner courtyard, and from a distance I saw the Third Master and his butler servant entering the ceremonial gate of the outer courtyard, so I ran back to report the news. Now he must have entered the inner courtyard."

As soon as Douguan finished speaking, Yingchun and others saw a figure flashing at the gate of the courtyard, and saw Jia Cong appear with a smile on his face.

Although he looked energetic, his hair was disheveled and his clothes were wrinkled, which was quite different from his usual neat and handsome appearance.

Yingchun greeted him with a smile and said, "Brother Cong, you are finally back home. You must have had a hard time these days."

Shi Xiangyun asked with a smile: "Third brother, how will the results of this spring examination be? You will definitely take the top spot. When you come back, you will be able to announce the names of the candidates and have a feast at the imperial palace. It will be a great honor to show off!"

Jia Cong laughed and said, "Sister Yun is quite arrogant. It's not that easy to pass the exam to become the top scholar."

When the sisters saw that he looked relaxed and smiling, they knew that he would succeed in this spring imperial examination.

They all knew that Jia Cong had won the first place in the imperial examinations twice, and now with such an expression on his face, no one would worry about his success in the imperial examinations.

Daiyu smiled and said, "It doesn't matter whether you pass the imperial examination or not. It's not fun to stay in the dormitory for so many days, under the sun and wind. It's really important for you to go home and have a good rest, brother."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Sister Lin is right. The room is narrow and drafty. It is really difficult to live here.

I haven't washed myself for nine days. My hair is unkempt, my clothes are disheveled, and I look unkempt. I'm really worried that the sisters will be disturbed by the smell."

Shi Xiangyun walked forward with a smile, sniffed him, and said with a giggle, "It's not as bad as Third Brother said. It smells OK to me, and it hasn't gone bad yet."

The sisters were amused by Xiangyun's words.

Yingchun smiled and said, "I'm glad you're back safely. We'll have a look at you. Let the maid help you bathe and wash. I think you must be tired. Go to bed early today and we'll talk tomorrow."

When the sisters saw Jia Cong return safely, they felt relieved. They knew that he must be in a hurry to change clothes and wash up after living in the solitary quarters for so many days. So they all left with Yingchun with a smile.

……

Jia Cong didn't even go to the bedroom, but went directly to the bathroom in the backyard. Wu'er and Qingwen hurriedly followed him.

One of them held a cotton towel, a willow toothbrush, toothpaste produced by Xinchunhao, perfumed soap and other items in his hand, while the other one took the inner and outer clothes that had been prepared earlier.

They knew that Jia Cong would be returning home today, so they had prepared these things early in the morning.

Jia Cong had been in the Imperial Examination Hall for a few days, and he seemed to have never been more eager to take a hot bath than he was today...

During the nine days in the cell, it was hot at noon and cold at night. The water was only enough for drinking and we couldn't even change clothes.

Xiangyun said that there was nothing stinky on his body, and either the girl had something wrong with her nose, or she was deliberately saving face for him.

……

A water room was built in the backyard of the main house in Jia Cong's courtyard. It was divided into two rooms, front and back. An iron pot stove was placed in the back room, and fresh water was brought in from outside to boil.

The four walls of the front room were smoothly repaired and inlaid with polished foundation stones, with a spacious jujube wood bathtub in the middle.

Wu'er estimated the time Jia Cong would return and prepared hot soup in advance.

As soon as Jia Cong entered the bathroom, Wu'er turned around skillfully. Jia Cong took off his clothes and immersed himself in the hot soup, letting out a sigh of satisfaction.

He spent all his energy in the Imperial Examination Hall, living and eating in the cramped space. However, the excitement of pondering over his essay during the exam made him ignore the discomfort.

It was not until I handed in my examination papers today and was released from the Imperial Examination Hall that I felt sore and exhausted all over.

He is a person who has practiced martial arts for many years, and he would be so tired. One can imagine how those candidates who are so weak that they can't even tie a chicken will look like after the examination.

He soaked in the hot soup, the rising heat made him drowsy, and the fatigue of the past few days came over him like a tide...

Wu'er sorted out the clothes that Jia Cong had taken off, took a wooden stool, and sat behind the bathtub.

Jia Cong felt his hair bun being undone, and scoop after scoop of hot water was gently poured onto his hair, seeming to wash away all the fatigue in his body.

A pair of soft and delicate hands rubbed and scrubbed his hair and scalp, making his blood flow smoothly and making him feel indescribably comfortable, making him even more sleepy.

Wu Er smiled and said, "Master San will definitely pass the imperial examination this time. This way, he will have one less thing to study hard for in the future."

Jia Cong spoke wearily, but with a sense of relief: "You know that if I hadn't studied hard in the East Courtyard, my life would have been even more difficult.

Not all the men in the Jia family are like Baoyu, who is destined to sit back and enjoy the fruits of others' labor. For some things, they are better off relying on themselves.

I have finally completed my study from beginning to end. I have done my best for my teacher’s teachings over the years, and I have done my best for myself…”

Wu'er recalled that Jia Cong broke Jia She's purple jade ruyi and was beaten by Jia She until he was unable to get out of bed. Even Wang Shanbao's monthly salary was withheld.

Jia Cong was short of money to make ends meet, and had no nourishing food to take care of his body, which made Zhi Shao very anxious and at a loss as to what to do.

It was only thanks to Wu'er's help that they were able to get through the difficult times.

Thinking back to these past events, it seems like yesterday. Back then, I never thought that the Third Master would end up like this...

……

Wu'er applied perfume to Jia Cong's long hair. As he had not washed or combed his hair for nine days, she took the time to scrub it carefully and then rinsed it with hot water.

She then used cotton cloth to absorb the water from his hair, helped him to tie his hair into a bun, and put the hairpin she took out from her own head on his head.

She chuckled and said, "Third Master, it's done."

But he found Jia Cong in the jujube wood bath tub silent and silent. When he looked at him again, he had fallen asleep. He must have been very tired.

Qingwen asked outside the door, "Wu'er, has the Third Master finished washing?"

Wu Er said quickly: "It's not ready yet, go to the front room and boil some hot water."

Wu'er thought about it, and looked at Jia Cong who was tired and sleeping. A blush spread on her face, making her look even more beautiful and charming, and touching.

She reached out to unbutton her dress, revealing only a small piece of soft silk from Songjiang, which made her look even slimmer and more graceful, with snow-white neck muscles, slender figure, and a slender waist.

She rolled up her sleeves high, revealing her flawless arms as white as lotus roots.

I took a piece of bath silk and boldly put it into the tub, stirring up ripples...

Her hands were shaking a little, but she still mustered up her courage and gently rubbed and wiped Jia Cong's body with the silk cloth.

In the past, when Jia Cong took a bath, maids such as Wu'er and Qingwen would go in to serve him, but they only helped wash his hair and change his clothes, and never did anything as seductive as what they did now.

Wu Er's pretty face became redder and redder. The sound of water was swaying and the heat was rising. It was hard to get rid of it, obscuring the two intimate and overlapping figures...

Outside the bathroom door, Qingwen carried two small buckets of hot water, placed them at the door, and said, "Wu'er, the hot water is ready."

Wu Er's charming voice came from inside: "Got it, put it outside the door first, I'll come and pick it up."

Qingwen felt something was strange and listened attentively, but there was nothing else except the sound of water. Her face felt a little hot, so she put down the bucket and left...

……

In the early morning, with a refreshing coolness, Ping'er was walking lightly on the stone path in the inner courtyard of the East Palace, heading towards Jia Cong's courtyard.

She wore a pine-colored satin front-opening jacket with scattered flowers, a white cross-collared coat underneath, a beige long skirt, and a red phoenix-shaped hairpin in her hair, which sparkled in the morning light.

It can be seen that her makeup today has been carefully modified, and her pretty and bright face shows a hint of joy.
Yesterday she knew that Jia Cong had returned home after taking the imperial examination, and she had wanted to come and see him, but she thought that it would be dark when he returned, and he would have to rest early, so she waited until dawn to come. Now everyone in the two mansions knew that Wang Xifeng had given Ping'er to Jia Cong, and she had become Jia Cong's official concubine.

In addition, Wang Xifeng was a very smart person who knew how to build bridges and make connections. Since she regarded Ping'er as a support for the future, she naturally helped her plan everything.

In daily life, when it comes to passing messages and exchanging things between the two mansions, she could just send an old Taoist woman to do it, but she let Ping'er run errands for everything, just to make her visit the East Palace more often.

Ping'er is smart and beautiful, with a gentle and amiable personality. She is very popular. In the past six months, she has been visiting the East Palace frequently and has become increasingly familiar and close with sisters such as Yingchun, Daiyu, and Tanchun.

The servants in the East Palace all knew the status of Miss Ping, and were polite and respectful to her whenever they met her.

As soon as Ping'er entered Jia Cong's courtyard, she found it quiet. There were maids walking around busy, but they all spoke in a low voice.

As soon as she walked into the main room, she met Wu'er coming out. Her eyes were watery and her cheeks were rosy, making her look quite pretty and bright.

She smiled and asked, "Why is Sister Ping'er here?"

Ping Er smiled and said, "I knew yesterday that the Third Master had returned home. I thought he must be very tired, so I came here today to see him."

Wu Er pursed her lips and smiled: "Third Master knows that my sister cares about her so much, he will definitely remember my sister's kindness."

Ping Er blushed and said, "It's just a look. What's good about it? Is the Third Master in the study?"

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Wu Er pointed to the bedroom and said, "How can he be in the study? He is still sleeping now."

Ping'er looked surprised and asked, "This is a little strange. The Third Master is always very diligent. He gets up at dawn every day to study. I have never heard of him sleeping at this time."

Wu Er said, "You didn't see it last night. Third Master was always so energetic, but after nine days in the cell, he was exhausted when he came back. He fell asleep in the middle of taking a bath."

Wu Er thought about taking a bath last night, and her pretty face couldn't help but blush...

"Today, when the time came, Third Master still didn't get up. Zhishao asked everyone not to disturb him and let Third Master sleep a little longer."

Ping'er glanced at the bedroom, her eyes showing a look of pity, and said, "I came here to see the Third Master. Besides, the Second Madam said that the Third Master celebrated his birthday in the Imperial Examination Hall.

I came back thinking about holding a banquet for him. Now the Third Master has inherited the Rong family's business and has become the head of the Jia family. This is the first year, and it's Wu Xiang's birthday, so it's not good to be too careless.

Let me ask what the Third Master means."

Wu Er said: "The Third Master did mention this before he took the imperial examination. You can follow the old rules of the mansion, but don't make it too public.

If you want to invite outsiders, just invite the relatives and old friends of the Jia family. Try not to disturb the officials alone."

Ping Er nodded and said, "I understand what Third Master means. I'll go talk to Second Madam when I get home."

……

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

Grandmother Jia was leaning on the couch, and Yuanyang was gently massaging her legs, but she looked a little absent-minded.

Mrs. Wang came from the East Courtyard early in the morning, saying that she came to pay her respects to Lady Jia, but in fact she came to discuss Baoyu's marriage.

Said: "Old Madam, the last time I told you about Miss Xia, I also mentioned it to Master when I got back, and Master didn't have any objection.

He said that whether the other party is an official or a businessman, it is not necessary to care too much. What matters is that the family is honest and respectable, knows how to be polite and filial to the girl, and is gentle, quiet and virtuous. Then they can be a good match. "

Although Mrs. Wang made Jia Zheng's words sound pleasant to her ears, she actually concealed some things to avoid embarrassing her son Baoyu.

Jia Zheng was, after all, a fifth-rank official, so naturally he hoped that his only legitimate son could marry a woman from a respectable official family, which would also bring honor to the Jia family.

However, ever since Baoyu spoke nonsense in the inner house that day and was reprimanded by the clan office, the matter even involved the emperor's will in the palace.

This incident alone has completely trampled upon and destroyed the reputation of his son Baoyu.

Although Jia Zheng is honest and straightforward, he has been immersed in officialdom for more than ten years. Naturally, he sees things more clearly than Jia Mu and Mrs. Wang. It would be difficult for Baoyu to marry into an official family.

Last time, Baoyu acted crazy and stupid because of Daiyu's advice to study, causing chaos in the mansion. He was so shameless, shallow and hateful that made Jia Zheng even more disappointed in his son.

Jia Zheng thought that with his son's appearance, if he was really persuaded to marry a daughter of an official family, it would be common sense for such girls to persuade their husbands to study hard and make progress.

If this unfilial son were to cause another farce like pretending to be crazy, he would probably become the laughing stock of the capital and the gossip of the officialdom. How would Jia Zheng be able to be an official and live his life in the future?

Over the past six months, his son was reprimanded by the clan government, and he himself was impeached by all the officials in the court. This made Jia Zheng feel humiliated and frightened, and he could not bear to look back.

Now, Jia Zheng doesn't want to take any more risks. Besides, his son Baoyu is so lazy and ridiculous that he is not worthy of a decent official daughter.

Instead of aiming too high, Baoyu would rather marry the daughter of a wealthy and uneducated businessman. I'm afraid his future life will be more peaceful and stable.

Jia Zheng told his wife all of his thoughts and words. Although Mrs. Wang was unhappy, what else could she say?

But in front of Lady Jia, she would naturally not say a word about her husband's words of disdain for their son, so as not to embarrass Baoyu in vain.

……

After hearing what Lady Wang said, Grandmother Jia sighed in her heart, wondering how her Baoyu could have such a mother.

The girls he found were all from merchant families, so they didn't take the Jia family's status as a duke into consideration at all.

Grandmother Jia said: "I have seen the Miss Xia you mentioned several times. Her appearance and temperament are indeed excellent.

Even if she was from a wealthy businessman's family, it would be fine. What Zheng'er said was a bit unreasonable, but she lost her father at an early age, so there was some truth to it.

Baoyu is your flesh and blood, he is also outstanding in appearance and character, and he is still the second son of the Rongguo Mansion. In my opinion, there is no need to rush his marriage."

When Grandmother Jia saw what she said, her daughter-in-law showed reluctance on her face.

Grandmother Jia couldn't help feeling a little annoyed. Although her second daughter-in-law was a cruel person, she was too paranoid and inflexible. She was really not worth consulting with.

The old lady was a little helpless and said, "Don't always think that the second house will lose its dignity if it moves to the East Courtyard. You should think more about how Rongguo Mansion is now.

Although Zheng'er is no longer the head of Rong state, the power of Rong state mansion is stronger than before, which is the most important thing.

Now I also understand that, in the final analysis, it was because Congge'er took over the family business. He was awarded two titles, became a fifth-rank official, and was highly regarded by the current emperor.

In the past six months, old relatives and friends have come to visit, and there is a sense of warmth and liveliness that we haven't had in the past few years. Although I'm old, I can still notice this.

Now, Brother Cong has passed the spring imperial examination again. People outside say that he will definitely pass this time. Looking at his previous study ability, I think he will pass.

If he becomes a Jinshi, I'm afraid he will be more valued by the palace and have a brighter future, which is a good thing for our Jia family."

After hearing what Grandmother Jia said, Mrs. Wang felt as if her heart was stabbed by a knife, and she was filled with resentment and jealousy...

……

Grandmother Jia continued, "Don't take such a small matter so seriously. You have to think about the long term.

Brother Cong has been at odds with his father since he was young, so I brought him to the West Mansion and raised him in the second house. You haven't heard how he usually calls Zheng'er. He doesn't call him the second master, but calls him the master all the time.

This is also the fate between them as uncle and nephew. This kind of affection is unusual. According to this logic, are he and Baoyu still ordinary cousins?
As long as his future gets better and better, the foundation of Rongguo Mansion will become more and more solid. Do you think he can still treat Zheng'er badly? Sooner or later, Baoyu will benefit from his father's help.

Let’s not talk about the distant past, just look at what has happened to the second girl in the past year. She was originally a concubine’s daughter that no one cared about, but now there are so many more hereditary wealthy families who want to marry into her family.

Not to mention the second girl, even if the third girl was so favored by Congge, most people outside would have heard about it.

Just wait and see, within a year or two, the thresholds of the two mansions will be broken down by people.

Could it be that a legitimate son like Baoyu is even inferior to the second and third girls?

So, you don’t have to rush to arrange Baoyu’s marriage. He will only be fifteen next month, and there are still many years to go. If you wait for some time, you won’t be afraid of not being able to find a decent marriage…”

After listening to what Lady Jia said, Mrs. Wang understood what the old lady said. In fact, every word she said made sense, but she felt very aggrieved.

This abominable kid from Dongfu has robbed Baoyu of his reputation and ruined so many of his own things over the years.

But when the time came, Baoyu actually had to rely on his kindness to find a decent marriage. God was really good at mistreating people...

As Jia's mother was talking to Mrs. Wang, she heard the maid outside the curtain say, "The second madam is here. The old lady and the second madam are talking in the hall."

(End of this chapter)