Dream of the Red Chamber: Rising from Refugees to Sweep Across the Land

Chapter 55 The Audacious Wang Xifeng

Good things don't go out, bad things pass thousands of miles.

Ni Er was kidnapped on the street simply because he ate noodles but not garlic. The news spread like wildfire throughout Jiajia Back Street, and the neighbors were talking about it.

Ni Er's wife was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. She wanted to report it to the authorities, but she was also afraid.

Ni Er usually works as a bouncer at casinos and lends money at exorbitant interest rates, which are illegal activities that cannot be exposed to the authorities. Besides, the fact that the other party dares to arrest people so openly in broad daylight means that they must have extraordinary connections, and the government is unlikely to get involved.

After much thought, there was no other way but to ask for help from the Jia family.

Ni Er's family was originally no match for the Jia family. Fortunately, their neighbor was a member of a collateral branch of the Jia family, and Ni Er often helped him out, so they had some influence over him.

......................

Wang Xifeng had a habit of taking a rest for an hour every time it got hot at noon.

But I had something on my mind today, so I only dozed off for less than half an hour before waking up. I leaned against the bed and talked to Ping'er.

Ping'er gently waved her fan and softly advised, "Grandma, you don't need to worry too much about Second Master. With Wang'er and the others with you, nothing will go wrong."

Wang Xifeng shook her head slightly: "I don't care about your safety, but don't you know your second master's temperament? He's always been one to want more than he has. They say women from Jiangnan are made of water, gentle and graceful..."

Ping'er burst out laughing, but quickly suppressed it.

Wang Xifeng immediately felt embarrassed: "I... I was afraid that he would be instigated by his servants and do something foolish in a moment of confusion, thus disgracing the Jia family..."

Ping'er suppressed a laugh: "Grandma, please don't worry. Second Master has always been a man of principle and would never dare to do anything reckless. Besides, Aunt was his own aunt. Now that she's gone, he's too heartbroken to have any other thoughts."

Wang Xifeng snorted coldly, clearly disbelieving in Jia Lian's character.

Ping'er simply smiled and said nothing more.

At the end of May, a messenger arrived from Nanjing with news of the death of the aunt.

The old lady fainted from crying on the spot, and the banquet that the mansion had prepared for the eldest daughter of the palace to be promoted to the rank of talented woman was also canceled on the spot.

After the old lady woke up, she immediately instructed Jia Lian to go south to attend the funeral and to bring his aunt's daughter to the capital as well.

The reason, according to custom, is that the eldest daughter who has lost her mother should not be married. However, by having the old lady, the Duchess, raise her personally, this taboo can be avoided.

But Ping'er understood that the old lady not only doted on her granddaughter, but also wanted to keep her under her control in order to maintain the relationship and connection between the Jia family and the Lin family.

The kinship among wealthy and powerful families is never simple; deep down, it's full of shrewd calculations and power struggles.

Ping'er suddenly remembered: "I just bumped into Aunt Zhou, and she said that Uncle Zhou is lame..."

Sister Feng looked up at her and said, "Just say what you want to say."

"As expected, nothing can be hidden from Grandma."

Ping'er glanced out the window and lowered her voice: "This is really dangerous. What if the masters find out that Grandma is also lending money at exorbitant interest rates..."

"What good would it do to know?"

Wang Xifeng looked completely unconcerned and snorted coldly, "These days, the Jia family still needs our Wang family to maintain their prestige and dignity!"

He paused for a moment, then added, "Besides, the empresses in the palace will inevitably have to rely on my uncle's support in court in the future."

"grandmother......"

Ping'er wanted to say a few more words of advice, but when she saw that Wang Xifeng's face had darkened and her eyes were filled with displeasure, she had no choice but to swallow back the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

Wang Xifeng suddenly grabbed Ping'er's hand, startling Ping'er.

"Grandma, what's wrong?"

Wang Xifeng stared at her: "Did your second master move his secret stash of money and hide it somewhere else?"

Ping'er's heart skipped a beat, but she forced a calm expression: "Grandma is just making fun of me. Where does Second Master hide his secret stash of money? He would never tell me."

Wang Xifeng snorted coldly: "Stop playing tricks on me. Do you think I don't know what you've been doing behind my back? What exactly happened with that little maidservant by Granny Lai's side?"

Ping'er's face changed instantly. Just as she was about to speak in her defense, Wang Xifeng raised her hand to stop her: "It's not that I'm blaming you for keeping it from me, it's just that you handled this matter very poorly. If you're going to take it, don't be so stingy. What good are two hundred taels? It only makes others laugh at us and look down on our household, making it seem like we're begging and submitting..."

He was like a gofer or assistant in the Eastern Prefecture.

"If it were me, I wouldn't need to partner with the East Mansion at all. I could just take out five hundred taels of silver myself and secure this favor."

Hearing her say that, Ping'er inwardly scoffed. Isn't it because you keep such a tight rein on the Second Master and are so stingy that he can't even come up with two hundred taels? If it weren't for the fact that I secretly saved up some gold and silver jewelry to give him in an emergency, it would be truly shameful!

Wang Xifeng's eyes darted around, and she said, "Zhou Rui's son-in-law's antique shop is much more profitable than lending money at exorbitant interest rates... What do you think, how about we open an antique shop too?"

Ping'er was taken aback, then heard Wang Xifeng continue, "I know all about the shady dealings my dear aunt does behind the scenes. Rather than letting those servants profit at her expense, why don't we take over the business ourselves? We can open an antique shop, and all the unused antiques and curios in the mansion can be sold to the shop at low prices, making money hand over fist."

"By selling it, the price difference alone can earn several thousand taels. Then, that money can be used to lend money at exorbitant interest rates..."

Ping'er was shocked. She knew Wang Xifeng was bold, but she didn't expect her to dare to do something like this.

As they were talking, a maid's voice came from the living room: "Madam, Second Master Yun from the corridor has come to pay his respects."

"Where did this second master come from?" Wang Xifeng couldn't think of him for a moment.

Ping'er thought for a moment, "It must be Jia Yun, the son of Fifth Sister-in-law who lives in the back corridor."

"So it was him."

Wang Xifeng then remembered, "Why is he coming here at noon? Just tell him I'm not feeling well and can't receive guests..."

Before she could finish speaking, the maid said, "Madam, Second Master Yun has brought borneol and musk as a special gift for you."

Wang Xifeng looked at Ping'er, who said, "It seems you need something from Madam. Perhaps we should just refuse directly to avoid trouble..."

To everyone's surprise, Wang Xifeng became interested and got up from the bed: "Let him in."

Wang Xifeng changed her clothes before coming out. She had just sat down in the living room when a maid led a young man in.

Jia Yun, holding a wooden box in both hands, quickly stepped forward and respectfully bowed, saying, "Greetings to Second Aunt."

Wang Xifeng gestured for him to stand up and casually asked, "How is your mother?"

Jia Yun bowed and smiled apologetically, "Alright. My mother often thinks of you, Auntie, and said she wanted to come and visit you."

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "You're lying. I won't ask you or tell you that she misses me."

Jia Yun hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Nephew, aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning? How dare you lie to your elders! Last night, my mother was saying that it's all thanks to Aunt's shrewdness that such a big house is managed so well. If it were someone else, who knows how chaotic it would be!"

These words struck a chord with Wang Xifeng. She had just taken over all the affairs of the household and was eagerly awaiting recognition and praise. Hearing Jia Yun's compliment, her smile became much more genuine, and she jokingly asked, "Why are you two talking about me behind my back?"

"Oh, is that so? I have a friend who owns a spice shop. He recently donated money to become a sub-prefect. Before he left, he gave me some musk and borneol. My mother and I discussed it, and we think it's only appropriate to give it to my aunt..."

Jia Yun respectfully handed over the box with both hands. "That way, this won't be wasted!"

Wang Xifeng glanced at him with a smile, then gave Ping'er a wink.

Ping'er understood and stepped forward to take it.

Jia Yun was overjoyed; once the gifts were accepted, things would be much easier.

Actually, he didn't want to come, but Ni Er's wife knelt at his house crying and begging. In addition, he and his mother had received a lot of help from Ni Er and owed him a favor. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and ask Wang Xifeng for help.

Wang Xifeng took a sip of tea and said slowly, "You're quite sensible. No wonder your uncle often mentions you, saying you're eloquent and knowledgeable..."

Just as Jia Yun was about to speak, Wang Xifeng abruptly changed the subject: "Don't try to play tricks on me. You want something from me, don't you?"

Before Jia Yun could explain, Wang Xifeng continued, "I accepted your things not because I coveted them, but because we are family, there's no need to be so formal."

Jia Yun responded with several "yes," no longer daring to conceal anything, and explained the whole story clearly. He added, "Before I came, I specifically inquired about it. Ni Er was probably arrested by the yamen (government office). It wasn't a constable from Shuntian Prefecture, nor did it seem to be someone from the Infantry Department. It was most likely someone from the Embroidered Uniform Guard on patrol."

As Ni Er was passing by, he was unlucky and accidentally bumped into someone, getting into trouble.

Seeing Wang Xifeng frown, Jia Yun quickly said, "Aunt, Commander Liu, who works under Master Lin, is now in charge of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. This trivial matter is nothing more than a word to him."

Wang Xifeng paused for a moment: "It's not a big deal, but as I live in the inner quarters, I shouldn't interfere in the affairs of the government offices outside."

Jia Yun's eyes darted around. "Although it's inconvenient for the inner quarters to interfere in outside affairs, this is still a living human life! If Auntie helps, she will accumulate a great deal of good karma. Even if the Old Madam and Madam know about this, they will not only not blame her, but will praise Auntie for her kind heart and compassion."

As he spoke, he took out a silver note from his sleeve and presented it with both hands: "This two hundred taels is a gift for tea, Aunt. The Ni family said that as long as Aunt is willing to show her mercy and lend a helping hand, whether it succeeds or not, there will be an additional five hundred taels as a gift."

Ping'er whispered in Wang Xifeng's ear, "Aunt Zhou just went to the East Mansion to see Madam Zhen, and she happened to run into Master Zhen having tea and talking with Lord Liu in the main hall."

Wang Xifeng glanced at Jia Yun, then at the silver notes in his hand, and said, "I have other things to do here, you should go back first."

Jia Yun was a clever man. He quickly stepped forward, gently placed the silver note down, bowed, and then withdrew.