A stew of the Red Chamber

Chapter 34 Rare Goods for Hoarding

The side room of the You family courtyard.

"That's two hundred taels! Rong's daughter-in-law really lost out big time."

Sister You was still lamenting that Qin Keqing's bet had failed.

She casually spat the melon seed shells from her mouth onto the floor, then turned to her sullen younger sister and comforted her, "Didn't you say, sister? Your husband said that as long as you ask him for it, he'll return the hairpin to you."

Sister You rolled her eyes and said indignantly, "That sounds nice, but you're just trying to coax me over there so you can take advantage of me. I find it disgusting. Whoever wants to go can go!"

"Pah!" Old Madam You kicked Third Sister You hard in the buttocks and spat, "You good-for-nothing spendthrift! That hairpin may not be pure silver, but it's still worth a few taels of silver. What's wrong with letting your brother-in-law get a little advantage if we can bring it back?"

Sister You wouldn't back down an inch, her neck stiff, she retorted, "Mother, you make it sound so easy, why don't you go and let him take advantage of you?"

These words undoubtedly smack of selling one's mother for personal gain, and are utterly disingenuous and disrespectful.

Old Lady You, however, didn't take it to heart. Instead, she retorted confidently, "How do you know he hasn't taken advantage of me? If I were a few years younger, would I need you?"

To be honest, Old Lady You might not be as old as Jia Zhen, and she's even younger than Lady Wang. However, she's not as delicate and well-maintained as Lady Wang.

Although one can still see the charm of her youth, she also shows signs of aging.

"This..." The two sisters were immediately dumbfounded.

Sister You was so shocked that she didn't even bother to spit out the melon seed shells stuck to her lips. She hurriedly slipped on her shoes, got off the kang (a heated brick bed), went to the door, looked around, and then closed the door and went back inside.

She said with a hint of resentment, "Mother, if my eldest sister hears this, how can we still live here?"

Old Lady You scoffed, "She's not even my biological daughter. What can she do even if she finds out? Does she think she can bypass your brother-in-law and kick us out?"

At this point, she snorted coldly, her voice tinged with resentment, "She's definitely not our biological child; she just keeps crying poverty in front of us!"

Third Sister You seemed thoughtful, while Second Sister You looked puzzled: "Playing the victim?"

"That's right! Rong's daughter-in-law just threw in two hundred taels. Does she, as the mother-in-law, think she's less capable than her daughter-in-law?"

The two women fell silent.

Seeing that her two daughters had taken her words to heart, Old Lady You cleared her throat and then gently coaxed, "Your eldest sister is not my biological daughter after all, nor is she your own sister, so I'm afraid I can't rely on her."

From now on, if you want to wear gold and silver and live a life of luxury, you'll have to rely on yourself. That's why Mother said, what's wrong with letting your brother-in-law take advantage of you a little? Although your brother-in-law is lecherous, all crows are black, and which cat doesn't steal fish?

With such a large fortune, why wouldn't he have multiple wives and concubines? You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub. Since you have such a good excuse, go and let him take advantage of you, whet his appetite, and then tell him to tell your sister to take you as a concubine...”

"Pah! I won't be his concubine!" Sister You San angrily stood up, flicked her sleeves, and slammed the door shut as she left.

"What's wrong with being a concubine? You still get to wear gold and silver, don't you?"

Old Lady You couldn't catch up in time, and complained angrily. She then turned to Second Sister You and said, "Your younger sister is young and doesn't know any better. You're a sensible person, so why don't you go in her place?"

Sister You quickly shook her head and said, "I lost the hairpin, but I won ten taels of silver!"

Seemingly worried that her mother might misunderstand, she quickly added, "I...it's not that I'm unwilling to be a concubine."

"Pah! None of them can be relied on; I have to handle it myself!"

Old Lady You cursed and lazily got off the kang (a heated brick bed), tucked in her clothes, smoothed her sideburns, and then wagged her tail as she left the room.

As soon as the door to the side room was pushed open, Jia Zhen stormed angrily toward the main room.

Old Lady You stood at the door, hesitated for a moment, and when she saw Jia Zhen enter the house, she pushed open the door, pretended to admire the flower garden in the corner, and quietly walked towards the corner. Taking advantage of the servants' inattention, she quickly circled around to the back of Lady You's house, crouched down, and came to Lady You's window.

But then Jia Zhen roared, "Such a big matter, and you didn't even bother to find out the details! You almost ruined Master's important plans!"

Jia Zhen launched into a tirade of abuse, startling Madam You, who was inside the room, with his sudden outburst of anger.

Lady You was stunned by his scolding, assuming that Jia Zhen was unhappy that she had brought her stepmother and sisters over ahead of time, and that was why he was here to reprimand her. She hurriedly explained, "If it's your fault, sir... I will bring my mother and sisters over tomorrow..."

Before he could finish speaking, Jia Zhen impatiently interrupted, "Who's talking to you about that! I'm talking about Brother Qing!"

Madam You asked weakly, "Brother Qing... Brother Qing? What happened to Brother Qing?"

"How dare you ask!" Jia Zhen said irritably, "His father died, such a big thing, how come you didn't even bother to find out?"

"what?"

Lady You was originally worried that Jia Zhen would be too tactless when he tested Wang Qing, knowing that Wang Qing was helpless and had no one to rely on. He not only told Jia Zhen to ask Wang Xifeng, but also concealed Wang Qing's robust physique.

She secretly rejoiced, thinking that good deeds are rewarded and that she hadn't said anything out of turn, but she protested aloud, "I...I didn't hear that his father was gone!"

"Um?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhen's face grew even more gloomy. His small eyes darted around for a long time before he took a deep breath and said, "It seems the old lady is deliberately keeping this from us!"

"Did you deliberately keep it from us?"

Madam You was startled and asked cautiously, "What do you mean, sir?"

"What do you mean? The old lady is just being overly protective of her own possessions!"

Jia Zhen sneered and briefly explained Wang Meng's death, then said, "Back then, the Emperor Emeritus, out of consideration for the imperial family's reputation, did not implicate too many people. In fact, even the rewards were very light. But he might still feel indebted. Moreover, now that His Majesty has ascended the throne, would he forget his father's hard work and great contributions?"

Upon hearing this, Madam You looked enlightened, but then felt something was amiss and hesitated, saying, "That's not right! If that were truly the case, why would she go to the Five Cities Military Command at this critical juncture?"

"Perhaps they were too eager to find someone to take the blame and didn't figure out the details. That's the biggest problem."

Jia Zhen let out a long sigh and said, "In the capital, everyone knows this is a hot potato. Yet they've pushed him into this predicament. What will the Emperor Emeritus and His Majesty think? Won't they suspect that Prince Yizhong's remaining faction is plotting retaliation?"

Only then did Madam You realize the seriousness of the matter, and she couldn't help but gasp.

Jia Zhen smiled bitterly: "Originally, even though the Emperor Emeritus and His Majesty felt indebted, as time has passed, and after so many years, if no one mentions it, they may not even remember his father."

Now that he's been reminded of this, he might actually benefit from the misfortune, and those who pushed him out to take the blame will likely face serious consequences!

At this point, he said with a hint of relief, "Thank goodness Liu Er intervened. If Feng Ziying had made a move, and things had escalated to a point where the Emperor Emeritus and His Majesty had misunderstood, not only would the situation have been difficult to resolve, but the Feng family might have suspected them of deliberately setting a trap... That would have been a truly terrible disaster!"

Thinking about it, Madam You felt a chill run down her spine, then asked suspiciously, "It's one thing if we don't know his background, but surely the old lady does, right? Why doesn't she seem to value him much? Why did she arrange for him to live in that remote corner?"

"After all, she's getting old and used to enjoying a life of luxury, so it's understandable that she can't quite adjust. Back then, although the West Mansion managed to distance itself in time and sent their eldest daughter to the palace, they were still somewhat implicated. The eldest master is now retired at home, and the second master hasn't made any progress for many years. I'm afraid the old lady is feeling quite uncomfortable."

At this point, Jia Zhen grinned mischievously and said, "That's fine too. They don't care, which benefits us. We have a chance to curry favor with them and show our loyalty to His Majesty!"

"So, what does the master mean?"

"There's plenty of time, so there's no need to rush. It'll prevent the West Mansion from getting suspicious. We invited him over today, and he not only didn't suspect anything but also appreciated it. That's a good start. We'll just have to be more careful in the future."

"That kid's got a knack for making money. We need to get closer to him. Go visit him sometime and see if he needs anything. If he does, bring him some things you don't need from home. And the master can invite him out for a few drinks. Before long, you'll naturally become familiar with him."

Madam You dared not delay and quickly nodded in agreement.

……