Chapter 5: Dream of the Red Chamber 3

The Liu family and Jia Hu stayed at the villa for half a month.

During those two weeks, Jia Hu learned how to swim.

Jia Hu had become quite tanned, and he was so happy he forgot to return home.

Madam Zhang and Madam Jia Shi were heartbroken, arranging for servants to wash Jia Hu’s face with cow’s milk every day, determined to make him fair-skinned again as quickly as possible.

After this bout of unrestrained play, Jia Hu never had the chance to play so freely again.

He had officially begun his schooling, following his tutor every day to study the *Three Character Classic*, the *Hundred Family Surnames*, and the *Thousand Character Classic*, leaving him no extra time for play.

Consequently, Liu Tong and Jia Hu could no longer meet often.

They met again during Jia Zhu’s "Third Day" celebration.

Madam Wang had finally given birth, and it was a boy, which caused the wild ambitions in her heart to begin sprouting little by little.

In the blink of an eye, a year passed. The situation in the imperial court was tense; the conflict between the Emperor and the Crown Prince had reached a fever pitch.

These were not things ordinary citizens could know.

Although Second Uncle Liu was only a baron, he held an actual position in the Ministry of Rites, so he was well aware of the goings-on in the court.

Although Liu Tong did not concern himself with the Rongguo Mansion, one of the maidservants by his side was a relative of a steward at the Rongguo Mansion. Through this maid and the steward, Liu Tong was able to learn quite a bit about the Rongguo Mansion.

The fact that the Crown Prince and the Emperor were at odds was known throughout the aristocratic circle; even the servants in their households knew of it.

Liu Tong had cultivated this maid, named Jiqiu, into one of his intelligence gatherers, having her frequently visit the Rongguo Mansion to scout for news.

One day, Jiqiu brought back a piece of news for Liu Tong.

The Emperor was going to hunt at Iron Net Mountain, and Second Uncle Liu was among the entourage.

Hunting at Iron Net Mountain?

Having read the original *Dream of the Red Chamber* and many fan-fiction works, Liu Tong thought of a possibility.

The mountain wind was rising, signaling the coming storm!

Liu Tong went to find Mother Liu and asked her to invite Jia Hu to their home to play.

Liu Tong said, "Brother Hu’s grandfather and father are going to hunt at Iron Net Mountain with the Emperor. His mother is pregnant and in poor spirits, unable to take proper care of Brother Hu. It would be better to bring him to our home. It would also allow Brother Hu’s mother to better recuperate."

Upon hearing this, Mother Liu sent servants to fetch Jia Hu.

Madam Zhang agreed very readily.

She was now seven or eight months pregnant; her body was very heavy, and her spirits were even lower, leaving her with no extra energy to look after her eldest son.

With her father-in-law and husband about to leave, there would be fewer people to look after the boy, so it was better to send him to the Liu family.

Madam Zhang then had someone pack Jia Hu’s clothes and sent him to the Liu residence.

Accompanying him was Jia Hu’s tutor.

Do not think that just because he went to a friend’s house, he would stop studying.

Jia Hu came to the Liu house very happily. Although he still had to study every day, he still had time to play with his little friend.

He stayed happily at the Liu house, but over at the Jia house, everything was in chaos.

Jia Daishan, the head of the Rongguo Mansion, had left standing upright and returned lying flat.

As it turned out, the Crown Prince had rebelled, setting a trap at Iron Net Mountain to kill the other princes and force the Emperor to abdicate.

Jia Daishan had blocked a blade for the Emperor and was severely wounded.

The imperial physicians followed Jia Daishan to the Rongguo Mansion, doing their utmost to treat him.

Fortunately, although Jia Daishan was severely injured, he was saved by the physicians.

However, his body was ruined.

From then on, he could only rest quietly and could no longer return to the battlefield.

Jia Daishan had no choice but to resign from his post as the Commander of the Capital and recuperate at home.

After the Emperor finished dealing with the aftermath of the Crown Prince’s incident, he sent generous rewards to the Rongguo Mansion.

Although Jia Daishan no longer held real power, he was titled Grand Guardian and received a large number of other rewards.

Jia Daishan thanked the Emperor for his grace with "utmost gratitude," but his lowered eyelids hid the emotions in his eyes.

Jia Hu was fetched back to the Rongguo Mansion.

Previously, the Rongguo Mansion had been in such a mess that no one had thought of Jia Hu.

Now that Jia Daishan’s life was saved, the people of the Jia family set their minds at ease, and only then did they remember that Jia Hu was still at the Liu house.

Jia She personally came to the Liu house to take Jia Hu away.

Liu Tong thought that Jia Hu had survived his brush with death, so he waved goodbye to him readily.

But a month later, Liu Tong heard the news that Jia Hu had fallen into the water and caught a cold.

Liu Tong could not sit still. He immediately called for Jiqiu and told her to accompany him to the Rongguo Mansion to visit Jia Hu.

Mother Liu did not want her son to go, fearing that Liu Tong would be infected by the sickness.

Liu Tong patted his chest and said, "Mother, my body is strong; I won't catch the sickness. Look, I haven't been sick once since I was a child."

It was indeed true; his son’s body was truly robust.

From birth until now, he had never been sick.

He could play in the snow in the middle of winter and not even sneeze when he returned.

Mother Liu was reassured. She prepared gifts for the visit and let Liu Tong take the maids and servants to the Rongguo Mansion.

As soon as they entered Jia Hu’s courtyard, Liu Tong gave Jiqiu a wink.

Jiqiu blinked, indicating she understood.

Liu Tong entered Jia Hu’s room and saw the child lying on the bed with a flushed face, eyes closed, in a deep sleep.

Jia Hu’s wet nurse apologized to Liu Tong in a low voice, "Please forgive us, Master Tong, Brother Hu is still running a fever."

Liu Tong nodded, "I know. I’ll go see Brother Hu. Don’t worry, I won’t disturb his rest."

After speaking, Liu Tong walked forward and reached out to hold one of Jia Hu’s hands.

The palm was burning hot; the temperature was quite high.

Liu Tong looked at the wet towel on Jia Hu’s forehead and asked, "Has he taken his medicine?"

The wet nurse replied, "He has already taken it."

Liu Tong nodded. Taking advantage of their hands touching, he channeled a wisp of spiritual energy into Jia Hu’s body.

It was a very small wisp of spiritual energy, but it was enough to help Jia Hu clear the virus from his body and slightly strengthen his constitution.

Liu Tong stayed in Jia Hu’s courtyard for a while, feeling Jia Hu’s body gradually improve, before leaving the Rongguo Mansion.

Back in the carriage, Liu Tong asked, "Did you find out anything?"

Jiqiu replied, "Brother Hu’s falling into the water seems to have been man-made. Someone pushed him in. However, that person didn't know Brother Hu could swim, so they ran away after pushing him. Brother Hu swam to the shore himself."

"When the Eldest Madam of the Jia family heard the news of Brother Hu falling into the water, she was immediately shocked into labor. Fortunately, the child was already just at nine months, and Brother Hu had run back to the East Courtyard himself. Once the Eldest Madam knew Brother Hu was fine, she set aside her worries and focused entirely on the birth. Although there was some danger, she eventually gave birth to the child. The Eldest Madam injured her body because of this and will find it difficult to conceive again in the future. But fortunately, both mother and child are safe."

"Because Brother Hu was wearing wet clothes and caught a cold in the wind, he fell ill that very day."

"The Jia family’s first branch was in a total mess; it wasn't until the old master of the Jia family stepped in that the situation was stabilized."

"And then?" Liu Tong asked.

He did not believe that with Jia Daishan involved, they wouldn't be able to find the mastermind behind this.

"There is no 'then'," Jiqiu said.

Liu Tong: "Besides the trouble in the first branch, was there nothing else in the Jia family? For example, on the second branch's side, did nothing unusual happen?"

Jiqiu: "Oh, there is. The Second Madam of the Jia family is pregnant, and because the fetus is not stable, she needs to rest properly in her own courtyard."