Chapter 67 You dare to send away wild geese? You dare to accept wild geese?
Supported by two old women, You Erjie arrived at the front yard.
The official and two old women were sitting and drinking tea, listening to the Rongguo Mansion servants flatter them, which was a rare experience in the capital.
Upon seeing Sister You's appearance, the officers immediately stood up.
Why did they bring the old woman along? Looking at her belly, you could tell she was pregnant even without the old woman. The two officers exchanged a glance, and one of them said, "Let's go see how many months along she is."
Two old women stepped forward and took You Erjie from either side. One of them even touched her belly a few times: "She's thin, so her belly looks bigger. But the baby is only seven months along, no more than eight months."
The two officers exchanged a glance. She was seven or eight months pregnant. Today was the third day of the second lunar month, which meant that she had conceived the child in June or July of last year.
They came to investigate, naturally, the case of Jia Lian's marriage during his mourning period.
The old imperial concubine in the palace passed away two days before the Qingming Festival last year, and the Jia family members passed away at the end of April. So, this child was conceived when the baby was less than 100 days old.
One of the officers said, "I'll go back and report to the magistrate. You stay here with your men and keep watch."
The man had only taken two steps when Sister You remembered Wang Xifeng's instructions, and the way they calculated the days was truly frightening.
"The child in my belly isn't Lian Er Ye's! The child in my belly is Zhang Hua's! He forced me..." You Er Jie could barely manage to say these two sentences before she broke down in tears.
She cried out for Master Lian in her heart, begging him to come back quickly and save her child, while also hating Wang Xifeng for being ruthless and cruel, not even sparing Master Lian's own flesh and blood.
Sister You was already in poor health, and in the past six months, she had been living in constant fear and anxiety while trying to hide the child. She couldn't eat or sleep well, and in her emotional distress, she fainted.
Fortunately, an old woman pulled her up and gently put her on the ground.
The old women from the government were not soft-hearted. One pinched her philtrum and the other pinched her tiger's mouth. In just a few breaths, Sister You suddenly gasped for breath and woke up.
The old woman from the government office helped her into the gatehouse, with the old woman sent by Ping'er following behind. The one who was sent to do this kind of job must be a trusted confidante of Wang Xifeng. The two of them hated You Erjie so much that they were itching to bite her, but they couldn't say anything to her face. There were almost ten people in the room, including the gatekeeper, but no one spoke. Only You Erjie's sobbing could be heard.
Wang Xifeng had already arrived at Ningguo Mansion. When Jia Zhen heard from the servants that Wang Xifeng had come in a menacing manner as if she was going to cause trouble, he immediately said, "I'm not here."
The servant added, "Judging from the way Second Mistress Lian is acting, it seems like she's going to see Madam."
Jia Zhen exclaimed "Oh?", showing some curiosity.
This matter was urgent, so Wang Xifeng didn't use her usual singing, recitation, acting, and fighting skills. With Ping'er watching her closely, she said very bluntly, "Second Sister You is pregnant, about seven or eight months along. The authorities have come to investigate. This child, no matter what, cannot be Second Master Lian's."
Madam You looked at her in surprise: "How could it have taken seven or eight months to discover?"
Wang Xifeng snorted coldly, thinking that this person was pretending to be stupid. She couldn't help but speak up when Ping'er coughed lightly.
Wang Xifeng sneered twice: "I also want to know how she managed to keep it a secret for seven months. There are so many people in my courtyard, yet not a single one of them noticed. I don't know where she got the money to bribe people. I didn't give her any money, but I know how much money the Second Master has. It's no less than ten or twenty taels."
Madam You wanted to argue, but then she thought that if the matter were confirmed, she wouldn't get away with it either.
It's more than just not getting any good results.
The saying goes, "Etiquette does not extend to commoners." It doesn't matter what ordinary people do, but for those of noble birth, it is absolutely unacceptable to do such a thing.
Madam You said, "I know it's serious... just tell me what to do."
“This child is Zhang Hua’s; she was forced into it.”
Lady You closed her eyes in anguish. She hated Jia Zhen, the lecherous scoundrel; she hated her stepmother, who was obsessed with climbing the social ladder; she hated her two stepsisters, who were of questionable character; and she hated herself even more for being powerless to resist, having to not only pretend to be deaf and dumb but also help clean up the mess.
"I understand," said Madam You weakly.
Wang Xifeng sighed, still wanting to stab people in the back: "I didn't want it to be like this either. Second Master finally had a child... Fortunately, the old lady had the foresight to only say that the marriage would take place after the mourning period, and she never actually did it. Otherwise, this would be hard to explain."
"I understand!" Madam You slammed her hand on the table, more to vent her anger than to express it.
She knew that her stepsister was worse than a concubine. She was clearly from a respectable family, her father was an official, and her mother was a noblewoman, but first she became someone's concubine, and then followed him without any status. Now even the child in her womb was to be beaten into being a bastard.
"Sigh..." Wang Xifeng sighed along with her, "I know you're different from her. Don't take it to heart. Your two sisters aren't of the You family bloodline, so why are you so upset?"
These words hardly sounded like words of comfort. Ping'er coughed until her throat was hoarse, but Wang Xifeng pretended not to hear them.
“I understand…” Madam You slowly stood up. “I will give them instructions.”
"Then I'll be going now. I'll have to talk to Second Master when he gets back." Wang Xifeng sighed, which was actually a show of defiance. "If you ask me, this is also Second Master's fault. If he had gone to Second Sister's room more often and found out sooner, wouldn't we have avoided all this trouble?"
Discover it earlier? If it had been discovered earlier, wouldn't it have just resulted in a miscarriage after a bowl of medicine? Madam You acted as if she hadn't heard anything and practically floated inside.
Wang Xifeng then stood up with satisfaction: "Hmph, what a character."
Ping'er helped her out, saying worriedly, "Second Madam, those things you said later were really unnecessary. If you heard them, call someone—"
"Nonsense!" Wang Xifeng was enjoying herself and wouldn't allow anyone to ruin it. "If they dare to do it, they shouldn't be afraid of what people say! They're not chaste and virtuous women. Don't you know what kind of woman your second master likes?"
Ping'er lowered her head and remained silent.
On the surface, Lady You appeared to be filled with sorrow as she drifted into the inner room, but in reality, she went to find Jia Zhen.
Although she felt disgusted, Jia Zhen and her sister also...
"Master," Madam You cried, "we must find a way to save her; we can't let her reputation be ruined like this."
Jia Zhen didn't care about that at all; he was just thinking about what You Shi had just said—that the child was conceived in the sixth or seventh month.
When was the second sister carried to Xiaohuazhi Lane? On the third day of the sixth lunar month.
In short, this child is probably not related to the father and son.
Jia Zhen breathed a sigh of relief and scolded, "How can you expect me to manage this? I am the clan head! Feng Jie'er's idea is excellent; we cannot allow this stain to fall on the Jia family."
Unable to find a solution, Lady You left, weeping and wailing.
Wang Xifeng returned to Rongguo Mansion in a carriage. The excitement from earlier had worn off, and her legs were a little shaky. She then remembered that she hadn't eaten lunch.
But she had to go back to Grandmother Jia first. Wang Xifeng went to Grandmother Jia's courtyard, and after saying only two words, she began to tremble.
Yuanyang, who had just spoken with Ping'er outside, quickly said upon seeing this, "Grandma, Second Mistress hasn't had lunch yet. Please give her some snacks."
Seeing this, Grandmother Jia gave her another red date: "Have you finished the red ginseng from last time? Bring me another one."
She then comforted Wang Xifeng, saying, "You are still young. If you start eating wild ginseng at this age, what will you do in the future? Although some prescriptions contain wild ginseng, in the past, red ginseng was the preferred tonic."
Wang Xifeng hurriedly thanked her, but she couldn't help feeling a little sad. Today's events were evidence of the decline of the Rongguo Mansion, and the fact that the ginseng had turned into red ginseng was another matter entirely.
After replying to the old lady, Wang Xifeng returned to her room. Although she was exhausted, her mind was exceptionally sharp.
She leaned against the daybed, with thick, soft cushions behind her. She thought about all the irrational things her second sister had done over the past few months.
"No wonder Qiu Tong scolded her, but she never talked back. Before the New Year, I said a few sarcastic things to her, and she wouldn't come in to pay her respects. She would just kowtow outside. Back then, she was afraid I would see her belly."
"And around the Lunar New Year, Sister Shan came back and forth saying she had eaten too much and wanted some hawthorn to aid digestion. Well, she managed to cover it up."
Despite Wang Xifeng's many words, Ping'er remained silent. When she opened her eyes and turned her head, she saw Ping'er silently shedding tears.
"Second Grandmother... this is not something you should be handling."
Wang Xifeng laughed out loud: "What are you afraid of? I still have my uncle. Even your second master wouldn't dare to do anything in front of me."
As the two were talking, Jia Lian kicked off the curtain and came in: "What bad luck! I got scolded by the old lady as soon as I got back."
"Second Master knows?" Wang Xifeng rolled her eyes and asked in a dramatic tone.
Jia Lian sat down: "Just got back." His expression was somewhat unnatural. The person who went to find him had told him everything that Wang Xifeng had done. He knew it was a matter of life and death. When he met You Erjie in the front yard, he didn't dare to look at her for long.
"Second Sister has been taken away," Jia Lian sighed. "They said they were going to question her, and they'll bring her back once they've got the information."
"Second Master, you're feeling sorry for her now?" Wang Xifeng sneered. "Where were you all this time? Not to mention these past few months during the New Year, she served you for at least four or five months back then, and you didn't even notice?"
Jia Lian's expression grew increasingly awkward: "It's not like you have to point it at her stomach—what's the point of saying this now!"
"I also think it's pointless!" Wang Xifeng suddenly sat up. "Second Master, you'd better pray that your precious Second Sister doesn't betray you, otherwise, forget about inheriting the title, you'll lose your head!"
Jia Lian was furious, shouting "incomprehensible!" before turning and leaving.
"Haven't your uncle and aunt come back yet?"
After dinner, Mu Chuan and Lin Daiyu strolled around the small artificial hill in the Wu Yue Guild Hall, and Mu Chuan once again acted out the role of a heartbroken young man.
Although she knew he might be faking it, Lin Daiyu still empathized with him. There was nothing she could do; she had left home at the age of six, and even if Mu Chuan had actually served at the age of fourteen, it would have been eight years earlier.
"No." Mu Chuan sighed and said helplessly, "They said they would come back when the spring planting was almost over. My father is good at farming, and now the whole village is my tenant. My father is worried and said he has to keep a close eye on them and not let them ruin our land."
These words were too blunt. Lin Daiyu turned her head away and smiled.
"Of course, that's what my mother says. My father finds it rather awkward. His opinion is that he's not very useful in the capital, but he can still contribute something back in our hometown."
Lin Daiyu was a little confused. Was it appropriate to say such a thing to her?
"So I'm all alone at home now." Mu Chuan turned to look at her.
"Aren't maids and servants people too?" Lin Daiyu retorted quickly.
"What I meant was... my cat can do backflips, do you want to come and see?"
Lin Daiyu smiled, revealing two small dimples: "I'll look at it next time when I practice calligraphy."
To be honest, Mu Chuan didn't really want to take her home, so he said, "How about we go to the theater? I've never been before."
Lin Daiyu said, "I remember last time I went to Zhishanlou, there was a theater not far away, I think it was called Guanglou. It looked quite big and was a little outside Zhengyangmen, so it must have been a nice place."
Mu Chuan laughed and said, "You see it so clearly, have you been wanting to go for a long time?"
"I used to listen to Kunqu Opera a lot when I was at home," Lin Daiyu rolled her eyes at him. "What else could I do?"
“What I can do, you can do too,” Mu Chuan said without hesitation. “You teach me to write, and I’ll teach you to ride horses and shoot arrows. As long as I know it, I’ll teach you. Going shopping and watching operas will be no problem either.”
Lin Daiyu snorted, "You said last time you would teach me the Five Animal Frolics and Tai Chi. You even taught Jia Baoyu, so why didn't you teach me? What, am I not as good as Jia Baoyu?"
Her eyes sparkled, especially after mentioning Jia Baoyu, she was just waiting for Mu Chuan to make excuses—no, to defend himself.
"Should I ask Aunt Shen to teach you? Or perhaps I can teach you in another month or so?" Mu Chuan hinted meaningfully.
Having just finished eating, Lin Daiyu, craving sweets, was somewhat slow to think: "Why do I have to—Pah!"
Now that she had realized what was happening, Mu Chuan pretended to be serious and said earnestly, "Let's wait a few months, and I'll teach you personally. Last time I told you to eat well, because once you start practicing these things, it will consume your qi and blood. I'm not lying to you; we really need to wait until you're stronger."
Mu Chuan's appearance was very deceptive, especially when he pretended to be honest, which made Lin Daiyu suspicious again.
Did I really misunderstand him?
Was he worried that I wasn't eating properly?
"I have gained some weight," Lin Daiyu said apologetically. Her ribs used to be very prominent, and you could feel the ridges when you touched them, but now they were much better.
Moreover, the waistline of this year's new clothes is an inch wider than before.
"Let's wait for Third Brother to teach me. It's not good to keep bothering Mother Shen." Lin Daiyu then asked Mu Chuan, "Do you think my face has become a bit rounder?"
But when her third brother actually looked at her, she became a little nervous. In less than a moment, Lin Daiyu turned her head and took two quick steps, avoiding Mu Chuan's gaze. Afterwards, she would urge him on:
"Hurry up. What time is it? I don't want to leave after listening to just two performances."
Mu Chuan first ordered his men to ride fast horses to prepare a spot. When the two of them arrived, the private room had already been arranged.
Not only that, but tea and snacks were also laid out, and there was even a monocular telescope specifically for watching the play.
It was just after the Lunar New Year, and it was in the afternoon, so it was considered the off-season for theaters.
Lin Daiyu sat on a chair by the window, holding a long mirror and curiously watching everything on the stage.
After a while, she said with some disappointment, "The actors only come out at night, so this is only slightly better than in the morning."
Mu Chuan thought for a moment and said, "Although I don't understand it very well, I can come and listen for you tonight."
“This thing can be replaced? I don’t want it.” Lin Daiyu giggled. “Sing a couple of lines for me. If it’s good, then I’ll let you replace me.”
Mu Chuan sang a couple of lines, and Lin Daiyu covered her ears and laughed, "Stop singing! I can hardly remember what the proper tune is."
“Covering my ears won’t work, you have to cover my mouth.”
Lin Daiyu glanced at him with a smile, then turned and poured a cup of tea from the table: "Please have some tea, sir."
Mu Chuan took the teacup, took two sips, and adopted the air of a great man: "Very well, then I will comply with your terms."
Just as Lin Daiyu said, although the opera singers at this time were already able to perform on stage by themselves, their level was limited. She listened to them intermittently and chatted with Mu Chuan in a casual manner. Before she knew it, it was late afternoon.
Lin Daiyu sighed, "It's time to go back."
“I’ll pick you up again in a couple of days.” Mu Chuan stood up. “I can’t come out every day, after all, I still have a proper official position to hold. I’ll have someone disguise themselves as a servant of the Lin family to find you, and I’ll assign you more people. You can bring them with you, and then I won’t have to follow you.”
Lin Daiyu glared at him. She was a little pleased but also a little angry.
I'm angry that he doesn't know who he wants to go out with.
He believes whatever he likes to say.
"Third Brother..." Lin Daiyu called out repeatedly, but Mu Chuan said, "If you keep calling me that, we'll wait until the nightclub is over before we leave."
Lin Daiyu glared at him again: "What if the Rongguo Mansion is closed when we get back late?"
Mu Chuan shrugged, stomped on the Rongguo Mansion again, and then poured water on the seed of freedom in Lin Daiyu's heart: "This is the downside of living with other people. Look at me, when I go back to the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion, they have to open the door for me even at midnight."
"Who can compare to you?" Lin Daiyu also stood up and went downstairs.
On their way back to the Rongguo Mansion, the two said goodbye in the front yard. Mu Chuan felt that something was not quite right, and Lin Daiyu also felt that something was strange.
The two exchanged a glance, and Mu Chuan was the first to react.
I didn't bring you anything today.
Lin Daiyu burst out laughing: "Third Brother is really spoiling me. I'm not a child anymore, why do I need to receive gifts every time?"
"What does it have to do with you if I spoil people?" Mu Chuan said as he walked to the last carriage, which was used specifically for storing things.
Zhu Zhishan's calligraphy, the four toys for Chun Tao, and—
Mu Chuan chuckled mischievously, took out the pair of geese soaring into the sky, and pointed them out: "Nothing else is suitable, so you can have these wild ducks."
His mind raced: "Look, it has a base, the neck stretches out really long, and the size is just right. It's perfect for the study, and you can hang a calligraphy brush on one neck. That's right, it's clearly meant for hanging brushes, so why is it being sold in the front hall?"
From the moment Lin Daiyu heard the words "wild ducks," all she could think of was "nonsense."
After her third brother finished speaking, Lin Daiyu immediately retorted, "You said you wanted to hang up the pen, so why don't you want it?"
Rebuttal is meant to let the other party talk back. Lin Daiyu was waiting for a rebuttal when her third brother actually nodded: "You're right. Anyway, you can only use one pen to write at a time—so let's each take one and divide this wild duck among ourselves."
Lin Daiyu stared at him in disbelief, even doubting whether her third brother truly knew that it was a wild goose.
"Who wants to share this with you? Give me both of them, Xueyan, take the things, let's go."
Lin Daiyu's face burned. She quickly gave her instructions, turned around and left without saying goodbye.
How dare he send a wild goose to a girl?
Thinking this, Lin Daiyu couldn't help but turn her head to look, only to find that her third brother was also looking at her. Moreover, from his smiling eyes, Lin Daiyu clearly read a sentence: You dare to take in wild geese?
"What wild geese!" Lin Daiyu quickly got into the sedan chair, muttering under her breath, "These are wild ducks, these are wild ducks!"
The old women carried the sedan chair all the way to the Grand View Garden. But as soon as they entered, Lin Daiyu instructed, "Let's go to the Green Bamboo Nunnery first. I'll go and offer incense."
After leaving Rongguo Mansion, Mu Chuan rode off first. If Lin Daiyu had been in the carriage before, he would have followed along slowly. Now that the carriage was empty, why would he ride alongside her? Wouldn't that be crazy?
Upon returning to the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence, Mu Chuan met Dou Changzong, who had come to collect the silver.
Dou Changzong came over to pay his respects, and Mu Chuan asked, "What kind of business do you plan to do first?"
"Our imperial merchants are mainly engaged in trade in Pingnan Town, as the general instructed us to do so."
Mu Chuan nodded: "That's right."
"The territory we've conquered so far mainly belongs to Chief Hua Ajarn. The chief previously mentioned that there are two hillsides on his land that produce cordyceps. There are also small amounts of saffron and rhodiola. These are all valuable medicinal materials, but the quantity won't be very large; three to five cartloads a year would be considered good."
Mu Chuan asked, "What's next?"
"But the trade volume in Pingnan Town is still quite large, so I plan to do some grain business as a cover, such as barley from Beili and buckwheat from Nanli. In a few days, after I get married, I plan to make a trip to see the actual situation."
"Hmm... Ah?" You're already married? You're quick on the uptake.
Mu Chuan chuckled twice: "Now that you've become a royal merchant, you should have some extraordinary skills in finding things. Go find me a cat that can do backflips. I need it, as soon as possible."
"Me?" Dou Changzong pointed to his own nose, asking in confusion, "General, shall I turn two over for you?"
Mu Chuan laughed and said, "Alright. Go to the storeroom and get some Rhodiola rosea to eat. You're not young anymore, so go this time and have someone else do the rest. Besides, I reckon Hua Azan's son will be here soon, and we can get some help from him then."
Mu Chuan put his arm around Dou Changzong's shoulder and went to have dinner. Lin Daiyu had already finished offering incense and returned to Xiaoxiang Pavilion.
Normally, when she goes out with Uncle Zhongyong, she brings back bags and bags of things, but today she only brought back one—a wild goose?
It was particularly eye-catching in Xueyan's hands.
What kind of looks are those?
How come these people, who have never even left the Rongguo Mansion, all recognize Dayan?
Lin Daiyu was so nervous she could pound a drum, but she had to pretend to be calm and nonchalant: "Go and put that 'wild duck' pen holder in the study."
Xueyan replied "yes" and left without expression.
At this moment, Lady You came to Jia Zhen again, crying and sobbing.
Jia Zhen was a man who indulged in nightly revelry, even when his own father died.
Upon seeing Madam You enter, he wore a displeased expression and pulled his hand out of the concubine's bosom, asking, "What is it?"
Madam You said sadly, "Master, the more I think about it today, the more something seems amiss. Putting aside how this case has been brought up again, just look at Second Sister. She's a frail woman who rarely leaves the house. Who knows her? We could just send a talkative maid to say a few words and get rid of the officials. Feng'er's household has plenty of such people. Why insist on sending Second Sister over?"
As she spoke, Madam You shed tears again.
"Second Sister is already eight or nine months pregnant, how can she endure this hardship? I heard that she has been sent to the Ministry of Rites' clean room for observation, how scared she must be."
Jia Zhen frowned: "Eight or nine months?" If it's eight months, then it really could be him or Rong'er's. Of course, it could also be Jia Lian's.
But as I said before, he's definitely surnamed Jia.
Madam You nodded affirmatively: "I went to ask. Many people saw her as she walked to the front yard. Her belly was already—" she gestured, "so big. Everyone said she looked like she was about to give birth."
Madam You was not lying about this. Moreover, the servants of Rongguo Mansion were no different from those of Ningguo Mansion. Especially now that everyone was in a state of panic, she got the answer she wanted with just a few words of guidance.
It wasn't easy for her to deal with Wang Xifeng, but what about Jia Zhen? He was the head of the Jia family clan.
"I understand." Jia Zhen waved his hand to dismiss You Shi. To be honest, he did care a little about having offspring, but not that much.
Last time I went to the chieftain to ask for something, he used the excuse of wanting offspring, but what he actually wanted was a secret method for nourishing the body by absorbing yin and replenishing yang.
But no matter what, these are descendants of the Jia family, and the Wang family has overstepped their bounds.
As Jia Zhen thought about it, he placed his hand on his concubine's chest again and chuckled, "Warm this up for me."
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