Chapter 108 Preparing for Marriage: "Ornamental lotus flowers don't taste good."...

Two days after leaving the palace, Lin Daiyu's calligraphy copybook was printed.

She was already teaching the princess to write, and the Empress had mentioned it several times. As soon as the calligraphy book was released, it was bought up by many noblewomen.

Although the emperor didn't say anything, he placed a book in the imperial study, which all the ministers coming and going could see.

Moreover, Lin Daiyu's calligraphy was already quite remarkable, especially her regular and semi-cursive scripts. Although those were initially bought out of respect for the Empress and the Emperor, upon closer inspection, her handwriting was indeed excellent.

However, it was Li Taijiu who truly caused this calligraphy copybook to sell out.

He said, "Regular script is the foundation. The official script emphasizes squareness, neatness, smoothness, and darkness, which is similar to her regular script. She is indeed worthy of being the daughter of a third-ranked scholar."

Upon hearing this, Mu Chuan remarked to Lin Daiyu, "No matter how many words I say, they are not as good as his one sentence."

What are the implications of this?

Firstly, Li Taijiu had just been promoted to Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, so theoretically he should be the chief examiner for the next imperial examination. If the chief examiner says, "This calligraphy is good, will you practice it?"

Secondly, whether it's answering questions in the imperial examinations or writing memorials as an official in the future, the official style of writing is a must. Of course, there are exceptions, such as the Earl of Zhongyong, but if one doesn't reach that level of favor, one should still honestly write in the official style.

Finally, her father was a third-place scholar in the imperial examinations. He had already proven himself in the examinations.

Lin Daiyu put down her brush and glanced at Mu Chuan: "Third Brother, we're practicing calligraphy here."

Mu Chuan asked, "Are you hot? Should I ask them to bring another bowl of plum juice?"

"Write another page." Although her third brother was quite serious and hardworking, talent was something that couldn't be compared. Lin Daiyu felt that the more her third brother practiced, the further away her goal of becoming like Wang Xizhi seemed.

Mu Chuan sighed, "I was afraid of tiring you out."

Lin Daiyu chuckled and said, "Never mind, he's my third brother after all. Add some osmanthus honey."

"Your handwriting is even worse than your Lin sister's!" Jia Zheng was also holding a calligraphy copybook of Lin Daiyu. Looking at the copybook and then at Jia Baoyu's handwriting, he became angrier and angrier.

Jia Baoyu didn't dare to speak, so he quickly stood up and bowed his head in front of Jia Zheng.

"You unfilial son! You wretched creature! How could I have given birth to such a troublesome devil! You haven't done a single decent thing in the past few years!"

It was already hot in the middle of summer, and standing with his head down was not an easy posture. In just a short while, Jia Baoyu's head was covered in sweat.

Jia Zheng frowned: "The old lady said you are weak inside, how come you are so weak? Tomorrow morning, add standing meditation, Tai Chi and archery."

Jia Baoyu responded softly, "Yes."

"Hurry up and go wash up!" Jia Zheng urged sternly. "What kind of behavior is this!"

After Jia Baoyu left, Jia Zheng suddenly felt a little guilty.

Why was Jia Baoyu so weak? It was probably because his health had been compromised by the maid.

As for Jia Zheng... he recently acquired a young and beautiful maidservant, so he's actually a bit nervous.

However, the father and son's weakness was in opposite directions; one was constantly covered in cold sweat, and even in the middle of summer, his hands and feet couldn't get warm. But Jia Zheng comforted himself, saying that he was getting old, and it was normal for him to be sensitive to cold.

However, this incident has awakened Jia Zheng; he needs to recuperate.

Once he calmed down, Jia Zheng remembered Aunt Zhao. She had mentioned earlier that she had been bullied by a maid and even had her hair grabbed and beaten.

Jia Zheng felt it was time to deal with this matter.

He went to Rongxi Hall and summoned Madam Wang and Aunt Zhao. He said righteously and sternly, "My legs were inconvenient a few days ago, but they are completely healed today. Go and bring those actors here."

Aunt Zhao's lips curled up slightly, but she quickly suppressed it, though everyone could see the smugness on her face.

Madam Wang simply closed her eyes halfway. She was annoyed by both sides, and besides, she was currently racking her brains over her sick son's dowry. She had no energy to care about this.

It was rare for Jia Zheng to be in charge of affairs, so the head steward, Lin Zhixiao, came to report to him personally. While sending someone to fetch the people, he whispered to Jia Zheng, "When the opera troupe disbanded that day, Lingguan, Yuguan, and Baoguan went out. Wenguan is working as a maid at the old lady's place, Ruiguan went with Miss Xue, Qieguan was taken away by Madam You next door that day, and Ouguan went with Miss Lin. Miss Lin went to the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion today."

Jia Zheng said, "The indentures all belong to the Jia family. Summon them here for questioning first."

The actors were assigned to various places that day. When someone was sent to call them, everyone received the news. However, this time it was Jia Zheng who was in charge. Besides, they were not indispensable maids. Moreover, it secretly aligned with Grandmother Jia's wish to reduce the number of people. Even she didn't say anything, so the younger generation below would be even less likely to speak up.

Before long, a servant brought over seven actors, and Jia Zheng immediately disliked them after just one glance.

Opera singers need to have that kind of spirit. These actresses, now working as maids, haven't changed at all and are completely incompatible with Jia Zheng's temperament.

Who is Fangguan?

Fangguan stepped forward, trembling, and said, "It is this servant who reports to my master."

"Give him ten lashes, then sell him to a human trafficker."

Fangguan knelt down on the ground with a thud: "Master, I don't know where I've failed to serve you properly—"

When Jia Zheng spoke, there was no room for her to argue. Before Lin Zhixiao could even speak, an old woman covered her mouth and dragged her away.

Jia Zheng then asked, "Who were those who caused trouble in the garden that day, disturbing the family's reputation?"

Fangguan was usually quite arrogant and had offended many people. When Jia Zheng asked her about it, no one knew what had happened, and for a moment no one spoke.

Jia Zheng then looked at Aunt Zhao and said, "You speak."

Aunt Zhao hesitated, not because she couldn't remember.

Fangguan started it that day, followed by Ouguan, Ruiguan, Kuiguan, and Douguan. Aunt Zhao, who had lived a long life and had two children, had never suffered such humiliation. She would never forget it, even if she died.

However, Ou Guan is Miss Lin's person, and Rui Guan is Miss Xue's person. One is not easy to offend, and the other is backed by the Madam, so she is equally difficult to offend.

Aunt Zhao squinted and looked at them one by one, then pointed to Kui Guan and Dou Guan: "And these two."

One of them served Shi Xiangyun, and the other served Xue Baoqin. Now that the girls are gone, they have no one to rely on.

Jia Zheng nodded and said, "Give them ten lashes each time, and they'll be sold off tomorrow."

Kui Guan and Dou Guan both collapsed to the ground, completely powerless, unable to stand up.

The old woman came to drag people away again. Kui Guan called Rui Guan, and Dou Guan called Ou Guan. Jia Zheng, after all, had been sent to work outside the capital before, and was not as clueless as before. As soon as he heard this, he knew that this was not the end.

"Wait a minute." Jia Zheng raised his hand. "Speak, what else is there?"

All the actors in the courtyard were crying, and Aunt Zhao steeled her heart.

Her most important task was to serve the master well. Miss Lin was just icing on the cake; it didn't matter whether she had her or not. So she said, "There were five who took the initiative that day. Judging from their appearance, they are probably the ones."

Jia Zheng repeated his previous statement: "Give him ten strokes of the cane, and he'll be sold off tomorrow."

With this arrangement, only Wen Guan and Ai Guan remained in the courtyard.

Jia Zheng sighed, "Actors are heartless." He then waved his hand listlessly, "Sell them all. Let these two take some things with them."

Madam Wang spoke up, which sounded like a reminder but was actually an attempt to sow discord: "Wen Guan is the old lady's maid, and Ou Guan is Lin's maid."

“You’ve got some nerve now,” Jia Zheng said dismissively. “When the opera troupe disbanded, they should have just sold off the actors. What decent family would use actors as maids? Sending them to unmarried girls, and even sending a female lead singer to Baoyu’s side—is that your Wang family’s rule? I didn’t know before, but now that I do, I’m determined to intervene.”

Madam Wang blushed with embarrassment and withdrew without saying a word.

After dealing with this, Jia Zheng felt refreshed, and the Jia family's family atmosphere seemed to have improved somewhat.

Aunt Zhao was a little uneasy at first, but as she walked back and saw the admiring looks in people's eyes, she felt better.

How long has she remembered this?

She was a concubine who had given birth to children and was properly registered in the imperial family. She was beaten by a few actors, and they only received ten strokes of the cane, which was considered lenient.

"Serves you right!" Aunt Zhao laughed as she walked.

"What good thing has happened to you, Aunt Zhao? Why are you laughing so arrogantly?" Tan Chun interrupted Aunt Zhao with a cold face.

Aunt Zhao was in a good mood and didn't want Tan Chun to spoil it, so she said, "How dare you speak to me, Miss? Aren't you afraid of hurting Madam's feelings?"

"My aunt is causing trouble, am I not allowed to ask her questions?"

Aunt Zhao sneered, "Is it because of Ai Guan? I never see you ordering her around. Miss often says that maids are just like cats and dogs, you can play with them when you're happy and leave them aside when you're not. Don't take them to heart. Has Miss forgotten?"

"I wasn't doing this for Ai Guan's sake," Tan Chun scoffed. "Auntie said she wanted to curry favor with Sister Lin, so why did she complain about her maid and send her away today?"

Aunt Zhao became a little unhappy when this was mentioned, but she had already prepared a reason for it along the way.

Aunt Zhao raised an eyebrow: "When have you ever seen Miss Lin use Ou Guan? Miss Lin has never been close to these people. Not to mention that she hit me. Just look at how she burned paper money in the Grand View Garden, causing such a commotion, and in the end, she even blamed it on Miss Lin. Miss Lin was already in poor health at that time, how unlucky! Now that Ou Guan has been driven away, Miss Lin should thank me."

That makes some sense. Tan Chun was speechless for a moment, and Aunt Zhao could probably guess what she was thinking. To put it bluntly, she wasn't clear-headed enough and was making things difficult for herself.

Her initial good mood was indeed dampened by her commotion. Aunt Zhao said irritably, "I advise you to calm down, young lady. You're not young anymore. Look at what's left of the Duke's mansion? Instead of worrying about this and that all day, you should focus on yourself. If you're not—"

Aunt Zhao paused for a moment, then chose a more tactful way of putting it: "If you don't get married while the Duchess is still alive, you might not even be able to find a husband like the Sun family later on."

After saying that, she left without waiting for Tan Chun's response. But as she spoke, Aunt Zhao wondered if she should find an opportunity to provoke Madam and say that she didn't truly care for Tan Chun, so that Master would take over Tan Chun's marriage.

Master... may not be able to find a good family, but he is definitely more reliable than Madam.

Tan Chun, that girl, is resourceful and capable. Even if she marries into an ordinary family, she can live a good life.

When Lin Daiyu returned in the afternoon, the maid in the room told her about the actors being sold off, and Lin Daiyu said, "I know."

They weren't originally meant to serve in the house, nor were they chosen by her, and their indentures weren't in her possession. The only people she chose herself were Xueyan and Qingwen.

Jia Baoyu moved to the outer courtyard, and because he wasn't well-informed, he only found out when he went to eat at Grandmother Jia's place.

Jia Baoyu dared not make a sound, but hid under the covers at night and cried bitterly: "Xiren has been driven away, Qingwen is no longer serving me, and now even Fangguan cannot be saved. The Rongguo Mansion is so big, yet it cannot accommodate a few maids."

In June, the lotus flowers in the Grand View Garden bloomed. Taking advantage of the cool weather, Lin Daiyu had someone row a boat early in the morning and late at night to get a closer look at the lotus flowers.

She also asked Mu Chuan, "Do you have any lotus flowers where you are?"

The two were having dinner. It was June, and the Wu-Yue Guild Hall had an abundance of fresh seasonal vegetables. Every time Mu Chuan returned to the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion from the military camp, he would always come with Lin Daiyu to try them.

"Yes, there is," Mu Chuan replied, then hesitated, "but lotus roots grown for ornamental purposes are not meant to be eaten, so the taste probably isn't very good."

"Who said we were going to eat?" Lin Daiyu said reproachfully.

Mu Chuan hummed in agreement and pointed to the sweet lotus root with osmanthus on the table: "I only ate two slices."

Lin Daiyu chuckled: "Who told you to be so slow? You're such a big guy, what a waste."

After the meal, Mu Chuan escorted Lin Daiyu back to the Rongguo Mansion.

But as soon as she entered, she sensed that something was off about the atmosphere in the Rongguo Mansion.

What happened?

Qingwen replied, "I heard that Master Bao mentioned Miss Shi again. The old lady thought that she had been gone for quite a while and planned to have someone bring her back to stay for a couple of days. But she didn't bring her back. She only said one thing: Miss Shi is getting married in August and is currently staying at home to cultivate herself. It's not good for her to wander around."

No wonder, these words clearly show disdain for the Rongguo Mansion. Moreover, she was to be married in August, and it's already June, yet they haven't even said a word. It's obvious they don't want to have any contact with her, so Lin Daiyu stopped asking.

There had been torrential rain every afternoon for the past two days, and the weather was quite cool in the evenings. So Qingwen took advantage of the dusk to go back to the servants' quarters where she used to live to pack her things.

I was stopped by someone as soon as I went out of the Grand View Garden today.

"Qingwen!"

Master Bao?

Qingwen turned around abruptly, feeling as if she were dreaming. How long had it been since she had seen Master Bao? How long had it been since she had thought of him?

Qingwen took a step back: "Why did Second Master come to such a filthy place? Be careful not to get your clothes dirty."

"Are you going to distance yourself from me too?" Jia Baoyu said sadly. "Xiren is gone, Fangguan has been driven away, and Master ordered me not to occupy Yihong Courtyard. All the people who used to be with us have been moved into this servants' quarters. How can they stand it? I came to see them."

Hearing this, Qingwen's temper flared up: "Don't you know why they were expelled? Second Master, when Xiren was expelled, did you say a word? Did you plead for her?"

Although Qingwen disliked Xiren, she knew that such a thing couldn't be done by one person alone. If Bao Er Ye didn't have that intention, how could Xiren take the initiative?

“She…she was driven away by the master. How can I speak to a ruler who is his subject and a father who is his son?”

Qingwen sneered twice: "When Fangguan was chased away, you didn't say a word either?"

"I... she was ordered to leave by the master, who said that I had offended Aunt Zhao and that she had instigated me behind the scenes. What could I say?"

Qingwen increasingly felt that he was being hypocritical: "Don't you know why? Fangguan hit Aunt Zhao, and you didn't utter a single scolding, acting as if nothing happened—"

“I don’t know.” Jia Baoyu interrupted her: “Don’t say any more. What’s the point of bringing up these old grievances now? I’ll just assume they’re all dead.”

Some died, too. When Qingwen thought of Jin Chuan, she didn't see Bao Er Ye do anything. He solemnly lit incense that day, but when he came back, he was back to normal.

But the mere act of lighting that one stick of incense was praised by those silly maids as showing loyalty and righteousness.

Qingwen gave Jia Baoyu a deep look: "Second Master Bao, from now on, you can consider me dead."

Qingwen turned and left. Jia Baoyu chased after her for a few steps, but was stopped by Jia Hui, Bihen and others who came out of the courtyard.

From afar, Qingwen could still hear the cries of several people.

No one could control anyone else, so Qingwen quickened her pace and hurried away.

That day, Mu Chuan went to the palace to teach the princes and the emperor martial arts. As usual, the emperor invited him to stay for dinner and asked, "I said before that I would not allow Miss Lin to marry from the Rongguo Mansion. With the wedding date approaching, since it is you who is taking a wife, do you have any ideas?"

"Marrying out of the Imperial Household Department, which was bestowed by the Emperor Emeritus? Marrying into the Imperial Household Department, which was bestowed by His Majesty?"

The emperor smiled and shook his head: "No, what would that be like? Transferring money from one hand to the other? Miss Lin will be unhappy later."

Mu Chuan thought for a moment and said, "Last time His Majesty said he wanted to bestow upon her the title of County Lady, so why not do it a couple of days earlier and have her marry from the Imperial Clan Court?"

Thinking about it that way, it didn't seem so bad. The emperor said, "Very well, I will grant your request."

As the emperor said, with the wedding date approaching, the empress also sent people to the Rongguo Mansion to take stock of the dowry.

On that day, the Empress drew up a long list of dowry items totaling 2.4 million taels of silver. It would take at least half a month to count all of them.

Of course, the Empress was just sending someone to go through the motions. After all, she had never met anyone who dared to fool her in all the years she had been Empress.

Five days later, after the items were ordered, the palace maid returned and said, "Your Highness, something is not quite right."

The Empress was extremely surprised: "How dare the Rongguo Mansion...?"

The palace maid replied, "We haven't touched the betrothal gifts, and Miss Lin hasn't had them removed either. They were all sealed by the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence on the day of the wedding, and are just waiting to be carried to the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence before the ceremony. It's just that the dowry prepared by the Rongguo Mansion—"

The palace maid brought out a list: "The quantity of items is correct, but the quality is wrong. Take this white jade vase, for example. They didn't prepare anything of the highest quality. In terms of price, it's probably about 70-80% of the price of a proper item."

"And this too." The palace maid explained one by one, taking out the items they had inventoried. "Even the gold ingots that are kept at the bottom of the chest are probably about 80% pure."

The Empress quickly calculated: "So the Rongguo Mansion's preparations amount to only 1.7 to 1.8 million?"

The palace maid nodded: "According to what we've found so far, that's indeed the case."

The Empress laughed in exasperation: "They really dare to do that."

With the wedding date approaching, there's definitely no time to prepare again, especially since the wedding is only a few days away.

The Empress said, "Arrange for Jia to go to Yuci Mountain to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures, copying sutras every day to pray for blessings. Also, tell the Rongguo Mansion to have the Jia family eat vegetarian food with them. This time, have someone keep an eye on them; if there is even a trace of meat oil in their food, I will punish them with a beating!"

"I will only let them know what it means to be an empress after Miss Lin gets married."