Chapter 803: Mutual Restraint Reveals Merit

The 15th day of the 12th lunar month, Count's Mansion, South Slope Small Courtyard.

The sky was slightly bright, and the air outside the window was freezing. Sister Miao Yu's room was as warm as spring. The embroidered bed was fragrant, the brocade quilt was soft, and the hibiscus reflected each other, looking beautiful.

Sister Miao Yu, Zhi Shao, and Xing Xing Xiuyan slept on one bed, leaning against each other, like piled jade and soft stones. Their jade bodies were graceful, and their fragrant dreams were deep.

Today, Master Abbess Xiushan and her disciples were about to move back to Mouni Nunnery, so Zhi Shao naturally came to serve her master and spent the night in Sister Miao Yu's room as usual.

Xing Xing Xiuyan had been with Sister Miao Yu in Su Zhou for ten years and had a half-master-disciple relationship, so she specially came over to chat and say goodbye.

The three chatted until late at night. Xing Xing Xiuyan stayed in the room, and when the sky outside the window was slightly bright, Sister Miao Yu was the first to wake up.

She had been practicing Buddhism for many years, always getting up before dawn to chant mantras, and had formed a routine for many years.

Seeing that Zhi Shao and Xing Xiuyan were still sleeping soundly, she smiled slightly. Thinking that she was about to leave today, her heart felt empty.

She was originally a person of cold temperament, practicing Buddhism in Panxiang Temple for more than ten years, her heart calm and waveless, proud of the secular world.

But since her master saved her junior sister Jinghui, waves had arisen in her heart. Partings and reunions, love and hate, all followed one after another...

This noble and luxurious Count's Mansion should have been a red-dust secular place in her heart. With a pious heart for Buddhism, she should have stayed away from it.

But one day she would leave here, yet her heart was filled with loss. She knew very well in her heart that all this was not because of this place...

Sister Miao Yu looked at Zhi Shao sleeping by the pillow, her pretty face flushed, charming and intoxicating, and warmth arose in her heart.

The lingering and entangled thoughts, like the returning tide, slowly receded, suppressed to the bottom of her heart.

Although she had gently lifted the quilt to get up, her toes stepped on the ground slightly, still startling the sleeping Zhi Shao.

Sister Miao Yu said: "It's still early. I'm used to it daily. You should lie down for a while longer."

Zhi Shao laughed and said in a low voice: "When I was practicing in Panxiang Temple, I followed Senior Sister's routine. How could I be so precious now?"

Although the two spoke in low voices, they still startled Xing Xing Xiuyan who was sleeping. The room suddenly became lively, and the candles in the room lit up one after another.

Sister Miao Yu was a practitioner of Buddhism, following strict precepts, not touching rouge or powder, combing her hair into a bun, wearing a monk's robe, and tidying up in a moment.

Zhi Shao and Xing Xiuyan had to look in the mirror to tidy up, pinning flowers and hairpins. Sister Miao Yu watched from the side with great interest and even reached out to straighten the gold hairpin on Zhi Shao's head.

After the three tidied up, Sister Miao Yu and Zhi Shao went to Master Abbess Xiushan's room, and the kitchen servants had already sent breakfast.

When the sky was bright, Jia Cong and Seeing Yingchun entered the courtyard, followed by Sheyue and several maids and old women, helping Sister Miao Yu and her disciples move their personal luggage.

Although Sister Miao Yu was of cold temperament, she was a person of poetic and elegant taste. Seeing Yingchun, Lin Daiyu, and other sisters were all of elegant demeanor, naturally very pleasing to her eyes, and they got along well with each other.

Because Master Abbess Xiushan and Sister Miao Yu were Zhi Shao's teachers, and there was a connection with Jia Cong, Lin Daiyu, Seeing Tan Chun, Shi Xiangyun, and other sisters all waited at the bottom of the slope to see them off.

The sisters sent them all the way to the entrance of the inner courtyard before saying goodbye to Sister Miao Yu and her disciples. Sedan chairs had long been parked there.

After the sedan chairs left the inner courtyard, passed the inner and outer ceremonial gates, and entered the East Corner Gate, several large carriages had long been parked there.

Zhi Shao accompanied Master Abbess Xiushan and Sister Miao Yu into a green-covered pearl-tasseled eight-treasure carriage, while Jia Cong and Xing Xing Xiuyan sat in a vermilion-wheeled carriage with a canopy.

Two other carriages followed, one with four maids and old women, and one with Sister Miao Yu and her disciples' luggage, as well as gifts from the sisters in the house.

Behind the four carriages were several family servants and little boys serving, and the procession of carriages and horses looked after each other, heading toward Mouni Nunnery in the suburbs.

Lady Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall Back Courtyard, Great Flower Hall.

Yesterday afternoon, Wang Wang Xifeng arranged for servants to clean and wipe the stage and various furnishings in the Great Flower Hall, making it look brand new inside and out.

After the sky was bright today, Wang Wang Xifeng sent people to set up tables and chairs in the Great Flower Hall, preparing various teas, dried and fresh fruits, honey-preserved snacks, and other items.

Beside each table, a black lacquer carved flower case was set up, with bonsai, ivory chopsticks, incense, towels, tea, and other items.

She also had people set up a Luo Han bed in the middle position, with brocade cushions and back pillows, for Jia Mu to lean on and listen to the opera.

The small opera troupe waited behind the stage, and old women were sent to guard both sides of the stage to prevent people from the troupe from walking around randomly and bumping into the female family members.

By the middle of the Chen hour, Jia Mu brought maids and old women, Wang Wang Xifeng, Xue Xue Yima, Wang Furen, Li Wan, Lady You, and other female family members to sit down.

After a while, Seeing Yingchun, Lin Daiyu, Seeing Tan Chun, Shi Shi Xiangyun, Xue Baochai, Little Xichun, and other sisters, with their respective maids and old women, also entered the Great Flower Hall.

The Great Flower Hall was suddenly full of popularity. Except for the female family members of the three generations of the Jia family, the managing wives like Lin Lin Zhixiao's wife all sat down, and the pre-set tables and chairs were more than half full.

Jia Baoyu was most fond of this kind of vocal and musical pleasure, so naturally, he couldn't be missing.

He came over early with Sister Xi Ren, Seeing Caiyun, and Seeing Cai Xia, and was laughed at by Jia Mu and asked to sit by her side.

Wang Wang Xifeng saw Jia Baoyu sitting on Jia Mu's Luo Han couch. Although he had suffered a setback in Rongqing Hall before, he was in high spirits today, with a calm demeanor, as if it were a matter of course.

It seemed that as long as Jia Mu was present, the past suppression would vanish, and he habitually transformed into the Phoenix of Lady Rongguo.

Although Wang Wang Xifeng felt uncomfortable seeing this, thinking that Jia Baoyu wouldn't be able to mix for a few months, she was too lazy to pick on him.

Although Jia Baoyu liked listening to operas, the thing that made him happiest in this kind of occasion was naturally the gathering of the sisters in the house, so he could be close to them and talk.

He sat by Jia Mu for a while, then wanted to squeeze toward the sisters' table.

He had just reached the table and saw that it was full, and the sisters were talking to each other, and it seemed that no one cared about him.

Only on the left side of Seeing Yingchun was there an empty seat, and Little Xichun was sitting next to the empty seat. Jia Baoyu was overjoyed when he saw it, and his round waist moved, wanting to sit in the empty seat.

Before he could sit down, Little Xichun jumped up, reached out to stop Jia Baoyu, and said: "Second Brother, don't mix at our table, go to your own table to sit."

Jia Baoyu was dissatisfied in his heart and said: "Fourth Sister, there is clearly an empty seat here, why not let me sit? I can also talk to the sisters."

Little Xichun frowned and said: "Second Brother, you really don't understand the rules. The seat on the left of Second Sister has always been for Third Brother, and no one else is allowed to sit there.

Third Brother has always sat next to me. This is the rule in the East Prefecture. How can it be different when we arrive at the West Prefecture?"

Lin Daiyu heard Little Xichun's childish words, which were arrogant, righteous, and even a bit boastful, actually saying to Jia Baoyu's face that he didn't understand the rules, and couldn't help but want to laugh, hurriedly pursing her lips.

Jia Baoyu felt very depressed and suffocated when he heard Little Xichun's words, but seeing Little Xichun's small face tight, protecting the empty seat tightly, he couldn't succeed no matter what.

He saw a table of sisters, everyone silent, and no one made any persuasion, seemingly agreeing with Little Xichun's words, which made him almost jump with anger.

What exactly does Jia Cong want to do? He didn't come to listen to the opera today, yet he still occupied the empty seat, making him unable to be close to the sisters. It was truly hateful!

Jia Mu saw Jia Baoyu get up and had already noticed his actions. Seeing Jia Baoyu suffer a setback in front of the Fourth Girl, she couldn't help but frown, and also felt a bit helpless.

She sighed in her heart. Jia Baoyu didn't look at the trend. Now the family is not like before. The Second Girl is the young lady in charge of the East Prefecture, and Cong Ge'er is an unmarried one.

Sitting on the left of the elder sister is also in line with family etiquette. Why does Jia Baoyu have to join in the fun?

Wang Wang Xifeng saw Jia Baoyu suffer a setback and was naturally happy in her heart, just eating melon seeds and watching the show on the side.

Wang Furen saw her son being controlled by a little girl, truly losing face, and was so angry that her face turned pale, gripping the Buddhist beads in her hand tightly.

This Fourth Girl is the evil seed of the Ning Mansion. Now that the entire Ningguo Mansion has been raided, only this little thing without roots is left.

She doesn't even look in the mirror to see what kind of thing she is, actually daring to be rude to my Jia Baoyu!

But Wang Furen is no longer the mistress of the Lady Rongguo Mansion, and she knows that Little Xichun lives in the East Prefecture for a long time, and it is said that Jia Cong dotes on her quite a bit.

Last time she was knocked by Jia Cong in Rongqing Hall, she still has lingering fears, so she didn't dare to make trouble in front of Jia Mu at this moment.

She also saw that the Old Lady is no longer like before, doing things in a muddled way. If she really makes trouble, the Old Lady might not stand on her side...

Jia Mu saw Jia Baoyu embarrassed and the Second Daughter-in-law's complexion ugly, and felt a bit of a headache.

This Zheng'er's wife is now like a fighting rooster. If there is anything that doesn't follow her meaning, she has to peck at it.

It's just that she has limited ability, and every time she wants to fight for face in front of people, she often steals a chicken and loses the rice. It hasn't been long since the Xinchun Firm incident, and she was disciplined by Cong Ge'er. I don't know if she has forgotten it, and now she is coming to provoke Feng Tan Yatou...

Li Wan, Lady You, and others heard Wang Furen's words and knew what she was thinking in her heart—nothing more than her son not being able to study, so she hoped that no one in the world could study.

Although they were disdainful of Wang Furen's thoughts, they were silent because of their seniority and status in the mansion.

Seeing Yingchun and other sisters were all intelligent and sensitive, hearing the narrowness and malice in Wang Furen's words, but they were all juniors and it was not good to speak out to refute.

Only Seeing Tan Chun was the person involved. The sarcasm in Wang Furen's words made her pretty face flush with anger. Although she didn't say a word, she felt even more estranged from her legitimate mother.

Wang Furen saw that everyone was silent after her words, and felt that she had vented the stuffiness in her heart. ===== CHAPTER 805 =====

Wang Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "Old Lady, the same logic applies to Liu Wuer and Ping'er; younger brother Cong has not come over, so the people in his room should not come over alone to listen to the opera."

When the old lady heard this, she also felt it made sense and smiled, "Younger brother Cong knows how to teach his maids; those in his room all have rules and propriety."

When Bao Yu heard the old lady's words, his heart felt very sour and painful.