Chapter 542: Perilous Fate Has Its Own Path

Count's Prefecture, Tan Chun's Courtyard.

The second month was drawing to a close, and the spring breeze was gradually rising. The parasol trees in the courtyard had already sprouted buds, and the banana leaves were revealing a fresh green, exuding vitality amidst the biting chill of early spring.

Tan Chun was dressed in simple, everyday clothing, her makeup light and plain. She was practicing calligraphy at the window-side desk with her arm suspended, whiling away the afternoon hours.

A few days ago, Ying Chun had gone to the East Wing Courtyard to visit Tan Chun. Following Jia Cong's suggestion, she had gone to report to Jia Zheng, requesting to take Tan Chun to the East Prefecture for medical treatment so that the sisters could keep each other company.

Jia Zheng knew that his daughter had been close to her cousin Jia Cong since childhood, and that she had even lived in the East Prefecture with her sisters for a long time the previous year. He had long since become accustomed to such matters.

Therefore, he naturally had no objections to his daughter going to the East Prefecture, though Jia Zheng felt a sense of regret in his heart.

In Jia Zheng's eyes, Jia Cong was successful in the imperial examinations, refined and talented, and had a smooth official career—he was the ideal image of a descendant. He dreamed that Baoyu could also achieve such accomplishments as Jia Cong.

But no one knows a son better than his father; he was also clear that this was fundamentally a pipe dream.

Even if Baoyu was not material for the imperial examinations, he should at least strive for progress.

In Jia Zheng's view, Baoyu should have been closer to Jia Cong in his daily life so that he could receive some influence and guidance.

Moreover, since Jia Cong had been raised in the Second Branch since childhood, his relationship with Baoyu should have been closer than with other descendants; originally, this should have been a unique advantage.

Unfortunately, whether it was because Baoyu disliked reading or because his temperament was incompatible with Jia Cong's, he only faced Jia Cong when he was with his sisters; usually, he avoided him whenever he could.

This made Jia Zheng increasingly angry and disappointed with his son. On the other hand, his daughter Tan Chun had been ambitious since childhood, possessed uncommon talent, and admired and felt closest to her cousin Jia Cong.

Jia Zheng sometimes felt that his pair of children had been born into the wrong bodies; it would have been more appropriate if they were reversed.

His daughter's sentiments and vision were also uncommon, and she had been living quite well with her sisters in the East Prefecture.

But as soon as he moved into the East Wing Courtyard, his daughter followed and moved in from the East Prefecture. Jia Zheng knew this was because his daughter was concerned for his dignity; such filial piety and bearing were truly rare.

But no matter how much his daughter suited his wishes, what use was it? After all, she was only a daughter and could never support the Second Branch's household.

However, it was a very good thing that his daughter loved to be close to Jia Cong.

Not only could she receive some influence and instruction, but with a cousin like Jia Cong to act as an endorsement in the future, even as a concubine-born daughter, her marriage prospects would have a firmer foundation.

This little thought of Jia Zheng's as a father was also inspired by Ying Chun.

Ying Chun was also a concubine-born daughter, but because she had a brother like Jia Cong, those who came to propose marriage now were all legitimate sons of noble families.

Furthermore, Jia Cong, as a cousin, was very protective of his daughter; upon hearing that she was slightly unwell, he immediately had someone take her to the East Prefecture for a diagnosis.

This gave Jia Zheng some old-age comfort, feeling that his years of treating Jia Cong as his own and carefully protecting him had not been in vain.

Moreover, since moving into the East Wing Courtyard, because everything inside and out had been properly renovated by Jia Cong, Jia Zheng had quickly adapted to living there.

It was just that his wife was gloomy every day, which was unpleasant to behold.

And since his daughter moved from the East Prefecture, his wife had not given her a good look either; letting his daughter live in the East Prefecture for a few days could be considered stable and quiet.

……

Jia Cong finished his morning lessons and, taking advantage of the afternoon leisure, went to Tan Chun's courtyard to visit.

Before he even reached Tan Chun's courtyard, he saw Daiyu, accompanied by her maid Xueyan, also heading toward Tan Chun's courtyard.

When Daiyu reached him, Jia Cong smiled and said, "Sister, why aren't you taking a nap? You're running out at this hour."

Daiyu smiled slightly and said, "Ever since I took the Three Lives Soul-Nourishing Pill prepared by Physician Zhang, my daily complexion has improved a lot, and I can sleep soundly every night.

So there is no need to nap; I worry that if I nap too much, it will disturb my sleep at night, which would be bad instead."

Jia Cong knew that Daiyu was physically weak, partly due to a congenital deficiency.

It was even more because her life was adrift, which led to excessive thinking and worrying; every night her sleep was shallow, and there were not many days in a year when she could sleep through the night.

With these two factors combined, her body naturally became frail. Over these years, with Jia Cong's company and counseling, Daiyu's body had improved a lot, but after all, it was treating the symptoms rather than the root cause.

Jia Cong saw that her complexion was rosy and her skin was lustrous and fragrant; only with sufficient rest and balanced blood could she have such a complexion.

He had not expected that the Three Lives Soul-Nourishing Pill prepared by Zhang Shipeng would have such immediate effects; he truly lived up to the name of a divine physician.

Last month, Jia Cong had sent someone to Huaxi Village outside the city to deliver New Year's gifts to Zhang Youpeng, but they did not meet him in person. It was said that he had left the Divine Capital before the New Year to visit friends and collect herbs.

……

Daiyu asked, "Third Brother, yesterday you invited a physician to diagnose Third Sister; what did the physician say after seeing her?"

Jia Cong replied, "Third Sister just caught a cold and internal evil at the turn of winter and spring, and her blood and Qi are somewhat unstable. She will be fine after recuperating for a few days..."

As the two were talking, they entered the courtyard. When Tan Chun saw them, she hurriedly put down her brush and smilingly asked the maid to serve tea.

Jia Cong said, "Third Sister, you are not feeling well these few days, yet you still labor to write. It wouldn't be too late to write after you have recuperated properly."

Tan Chun smiled and said, "It's not a major ailment. I've already improved a lot after taking a few doses of medicine yesterday; it's not worth making a fuss about."

As they were talking, Shi Shu walked in quickly and said, "Young Lady, word has come from the East Wing Courtyard that Madam Xia will be visiting tomorrow, and she is bringing her daughter along.

Madam asks you to go back tomorrow to accompany the guests."

Tan Chun frowned slightly upon hearing this and said, "I understand. Just say I will go back early tomorrow morning."

Jia Cong advised, "Sister, your illness hasn't fully healed yet. It would be better to decline; they aren't important guests, just her daughter coming along."

Tan Chun said, "I should go over once. I just came over today, and I don't want to go back; it would sound unpleasant, and I don't want Madam to overthink it. I'll go over to handle it for a few sentences and then come back."

Daiyu found it strange upon hearing this and said, "Yesterday, Hearing Zi Juan went to the West Prefecture and heard some rumors. I heard that the marriage between the Xue family and the Xia family didn't go through.

Xue Pan had indeed taken a fancy to the Xia family's young lady, and upon hearing the news of the Xia family's rejection of the marriage proposal, it was vaguely rumored that there had been a two-day commotion; logically, the relationship between these two families should grow distant.

How come Second Xue Yima has become close to Madam Xia instead?"

Jia Cong felt increasingly strange in his heart. Madam Wang and Madam Xia were truly getting along famously; daily inner-chamber visits, and even bringing her own daughter—only intimate friends would do this...

He knew Madam Wang's temperament. That Madam Xia was a widow, and yet she could maintain the reputation of the Osmanthus Xia family; she was likely not a simple person either.

These two were both seasoned women of the inner chambers; for them to come together in such an uncharacteristic way, it was hard to believe it was for no reason.

Jia Cong said, "It's fine for Third Sister to go and pay her respects, but I heard outside that this Xia Gu Niang is not easy to get along with. Sister, just be superficially polite for a few sentences, and that will be enough."

Tan Chun felt slightly strange upon hearing this; this was the second time she had heard Jia Cong say such things.

She truly didn't know what kind of reputation that Xia Gu Niang had outside that made Third Brother have such an indescribable prejudice against her, as if he were afraid she would suffer a loss if she met her.

"I will remember Third Brother's words. I will just go over and show my face tomorrow. I will be careful myself, Third Brother, please rest assured."

……

Rongguo Prefecture, Lixiang Garden.

Because Baoyu heard the old woman in the courtyard mention that Xue Yima Xue had not been feeling well these past two days, he thought of going to Lixiang Garden to visit.

Although Madam Wang and her husband had moved to the East Wing Courtyard, and the status of the Second Branch of the Rongguo Prefecture had undergone tremendous changes, all of this seemed to have no impact on Baoyu, and he himself did not feel the dire circumstances within.

Perhaps in Baoyu's view, distinguishing between honor and disgrace was something that belonged to the class of greedy officials and vulgar merchants; wouldn't that be in vain, causing him to fall into the vulgar stream and tarnish his pure and innocent sentiments?

Moreover, although his parents had moved to the East Wing Courtyard, Baoyu's life had not changed; in fact, it was even more comfortable than before.

Because his father, Jia Zheng, had sealed off the small gate leading to the West Prefecture since moving to the East Wing Courtyard, Madam Wang was depressed to death, but Baoyu was secretly overjoyed, as he no longer had to be restrained by his father every day.

Following Jia Cong's inheritance of the Rongguo title at the end of last year, many people around him had changed, but Baoyu remained the same; he was still the grandson most doted upon by Jia Mu.

Jia Cong usually only moved about in the West Prefecture when receiving guests or discussing family matters; he usually lived peacefully in the East Prefecture, and the West Prefecture seemed no different from before. Jia Cong disdained to concern himself with these trivial, messy matters, so no one went to poke through that layer of window paper, and Baoyu still enjoyed Jia Mu's doting, seemingly still the phoenix of the West Prefecture.

……

Without his father's restraint and reprimand, although Baoyu was more satisfied than before, there were still imperfections.

Originally, Jia Mu had said that after the New Year, Daiyu would move back to the West Prefecture, but now that both the East and West Prefectures had become Jia Cong's family property, there was naturally no need to move back and forth.

Moreover, with Xiangyun arriving at the Jia family, she also lingered in Ying Chun's courtyard in the East Prefecture and wouldn't return; Jia Mu couldn't force her too much, which made Baoyu even more disappointed and bored.

Every morning, he went to the Rongqing Hall on time to pay his respects to Jia Mu; it wasn't because he followed filial piety so much, but because every morning, the sisters would come over from the East Prefecture to pay their respects to Jia Mu at the Rongqing Hall.

Although the Jia family was now very different, Jia Mu's doting on Baoyu had not changed in the slightest; perhaps this had long since become a habit.

Jia Mu knew Baoyu's thoughts, so she often used excuses to keep the granddaughters for meals, so that Baoyu could take the opportunity to chat and laugh with the sisters for half a day.

It was just that after Baoyu chatted with the sisters for a long time, Second Sister Ying Chun remained gentle, Sister Yun remained carefree, and Third Sister wouldn't say much.

Only Lin Meimei would say things about studying and striving for progress, which made Baoyu feel dejected, and he even couldn't believe his own ears; in the end, they often parted on bad terms.

He only hated Jia Cong for harming people so deeply; originally, Xiaohong was full of talk about official careers and economic principles, which had already made him feel disappointed and resentful.

Now, even Lin Meimei had become like this; he only hated that Lin Meimei had stayed in the East Prefecture for too long and had been completely corrupted by Jia Cong.

Moreover, as the day of Jia Cong's spring imperial examination approached, Baoyu was horrified to discover that the sisters' topics of conversation increasingly mentioned the spring examination.

Because her father had once been a Tanhua, Daiyu was very familiar with the allusions of the spring examination and spoke about them eloquently; Ying Chun and Tan Chun both had concerns and listened with great interest.

Xiangyun also listened with glowing eyes, repeatedly saying how glorious it was when Third Brother returned to the capital after defeating the enemy in Liaodong, riding a horse into the city.

If he could win the title of Zhuangyuan this time, have his name announced, ride a horse through the streets, and attend the Qionglin banquet, wouldn't that be even more majestic, and so on.

Such frustrating topics made Baoyu, who had always been close to his sisters, feel immense grievance and injustice; in the final analysis, it was all Jia Cong's fault. Because of him, the sisters in the family had been twisted into what they were...

……

Among the sisters, only Baochai didn't talk much about studying and striving for progress, and didn't seem as keen on the topic of Jia Cong's spring examination, which made Baoyu feel a bit more comfortable.

Therefore, although he said he was visiting Xue Yima Xue today, he was actually bored, and since he often couldn't see eye to eye with Daiyu, he thought of finding Baochai to chat and dispel the loneliness and emptiness in his heart.

When Baoyu entered Lixiang Garden, Xue Yima Xue saw him coming to visit, and a smile appeared on her face.

She said, "My child, you actually remember your aunt and thought of coming to see me."

She also asked Baochai to instruct the maid to pour hot tea, let Baoyu sit by the bed, and chat with him about everyday matters.

Although Xue Yima Xue had completely denied the matter of the "Gold and Jade Connection" in her heart, Baoyu was after all her nephew, and the warmth and kindness of an elder were not lacking in the slightest.

Baoyu asked, "I saw Xue Yima a few days ago, and you looked quite spirited; why has your health suddenly become unwell?"

Xue Yima Xue smiled bitterly, "Actually, it's not a critical illness, it's just that your Big Brother Xue is not striving for progress, and I worry too much. If he were as well-behaved as you, I wouldn't be like this."

In fact, Xue Yima Xue was also being vague and didn't tell the real reason, because it was truly too shameful to speak of.

That day, Madam Wang came to talk about the Xia family declining the marriage. Although Xue Yima Xue felt some regret, it wasn't a big deal, because marriage proposals were common occurrences, whether they succeeded or not.

But when Xue Pan heard this news, he felt greatly disappointed, because he had seen Xia Gu Niang at the banquet that day and was amazed by her beauty.

He had occasionally seen sisters like Tan Chun and Daiyu at the Jia family and thought they were the most beautiful in the world; he hadn't expected that Xia Gu Niang's charm would not lose by much, and from then on, he couldn't stop thinking about her.

Originally, he was thinking about her day and night, waiting for the day he could embrace the beauty, but he hadn't expected that with the Xue family's wealth and his own dignified appearance, he would actually be rejected.

The beauty who was about to be in his hands had slipped away like this, which made Xue Pan extremely angry; he smashed the things in his room to pieces, which was somewhat similar to Xia Gu Niang.

Afterward, he made a scene, asking Xue Yima Xue to go to the Xia family to argue, with the attitude that he would not marry anyone but Xia Gu Niang.

Later, he heard that a high monk had divined for Xia Gu Niang and himself, saying that because their horoscopes were incompatible, they could not form a marriage.

Xue Pan was even more furious, asking which temple's bald donkey had ruined his good deed; he was determined to go and burn it down to settle the matter.

……

Xue Yima Xue saw that her son was so unreasonable and shallow, making such a scene for a woman, and was almost angered to death.

Xue Pan saw that he had angered his mother, and only then did he panic, not daring to act recklessly at home anymore. After Xue Yima Xue calmed down a little, he ran out early in the morning to hide his shame.

Baoyu had originally thought that Xue Yima Xue was just slightly unwell, and that coming to visit was just a polite gesture, and he could also take the opportunity to chat warmly with Sister Bao.

He hadn't expected that such a family change had occurred in the Xue family. No wonder he heard the sisters say that Sister Bao hadn't been out for several days and hadn't gone to the East Prefecture to move about; it seemed she was at home serving her aunt.

Under these circumstances, Baoyu naturally couldn't find Baochai to chat. He finally had some sense of propriety, chatted with Xue Yima Xue for a while, and then left Lixiang Garden feeling dejected.

But halfway there, Baoyu suddenly remembered that Tan Chun had said that the Xia Gu Niang who had met with Xue Pan was a very beautiful and outstanding girl.

At the time, Baoyu had felt injustice in his heart, thinking that such a beautiful girl from a noble family would actually be matched with a rough person like Xue Pan; it was truly like a pearl falling into the mud, which was truly regrettable and lamentable.

Now, thinking that the marriage between the Xue and Xia families had not succeeded, and that the beautiful girl Tan Chun spoke of had escaped a rough person like Xue Pan, Baoyu felt great joy and comfort in his heart.

The dejection he felt when he left Lixiang Garden because he didn't have the opportunity to talk to Baochai in detail was completely swept away...

……

The next day, Jia Cong personally sent Tan Chun out to the East Wing Courtyard. When Tan Chun's carriage left the West Corner Gate, Jia Cong saw six or seven people who looked like scholars gathered outside the West Corner Gate, looking into the gate.

Jia Cong knew that during these days, candidates coming to the capital for the metropolitan examination would occasionally come to visit, so he didn't pay much attention.

Suddenly, inadvertently, he saw a familiar face in the crowd, as if he were standing there watching the excitement, smiling right at him.

When Jia Cong saw this person, a smile couldn't help but appear on his face, and he hurriedly asked the steward to invite the person in.

Outside the West Corner Gate, several candidates who had already submitted their visiting cards were waiting for a reply from inside the gate.

Although it was rumored in the capital that this person, who was a Count, was now closing his doors to guests, they were just trying their luck, submitting a visiting card to build a good relationship and follow etiquette.

But they hadn't expected that a steward-like figure would suddenly come out of the Count's Prefecture's corner gate and respectfully invite a strange man standing on the side into the mansion.

Everyone saw that the man accepted the steward's respect with indifference, without any politeness, and then strolled into the Count's Prefecture as if he were returning to his own home.

Everyone was surprised and guessed who this person was, that he could enter the Count's Prefecture without even submitting a visiting card, and could even be personally invited in by the mansion's steward.

……

When Jia Cong saw the visitor enter the mansion, he smiled and said, "Brother Liu, why have you visited suddenly? A few days ago at Mount Luocang, I heard from the teacher that you were evaluated as excellent in the Ministry of Personnel's grand examination and are about to be promoted and take up your post.

I was just thinking of asking when you would leave the capital so we could gather and talk; I don't know when we will meet again next time."

The man smiled and said, "Now your threshold is getting higher and higher. Outsiders all say that Jia Jieyuan is closing his doors to study and refusing outside guests. Many people admire your name and come to visit, but it is difficult to see you.

Today I came to visit without preparing a visiting card. Your mansion's gatekeepers are strict, and I thought I would definitely be turned away. Fortunately, my luck is not bad."

This person was none other than Liu Bi, the eldest grandson of Liu Jing'an. He was not only Jia Cong's good friend, but because his grandfather was Jia Cong's teacher, the two also had the friendship of being fellow students.

Jia Cong apologized and smiled, "The teacher has taught me that the period before the metropolitan examination is an extraordinary time, and there are always many rumors and gossip, so he told me to keep a low profile.

Plus, there are rumors outside that my two teachers were rejected as chief examiners for the metropolitan examination, and it actually has some connection with me. Although I don't know if this is true or false, the wind has already formed.

At such a juncture, closing my doors to study and avoiding trouble is naturally the best strategy."

Liu Bi's expression was slightly solemn as he said, "Yuzhang's words are very true. The spring examination is the lifelong pursuit of scholars; it is both a path to a glorious official career and a dangerous and turbulent journey.

The imperial court is about to issue an edict to determine the three chief examiners for this year's spring examination, as well as the relevant examination officials. It is about to become lively outside..." (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 543 =====