Chapter 61 Don't panic in a crisis, first, go ask Miss Lin...

The food was good. Although it wasn't Lin Daiyu's favorite flavor, it was still a nice treat to try something new, and she wanted to try everything new.

After finishing their meal and resting for a while, Lin Daiyu got up to say goodbye: "Third Brother, I'm going back. In your calligraphy, the vertical strokes and the left-falling strokes are written very resolutely and decisively, and with great strength. Third Brother, you must practice your calligraphy well."

To be fair, taking Wang Xizhi as a role model is probably not feasible, but taking Wang Xianzhi as a role model might... lead to faster progress?

Although it was just a soft, gentle voice, it inspired Mu Chuan to write three hundred pages a day.

He laughed and said, "You assigned homework, so I will definitely do it every day."

Lin Daiyu then made a promise to him for the next time: "Writing calligraphy is not something that can be mastered in one go. Ten days is just right. How about I come with Baoyu again next time?"

Lin Daiyu did it on purpose, so she was quite happy to see the restrained expression on her third brother's face.

Mu Chuan escorted her back to the Rongguo Mansion, then returned to pack his things and headed to the Northern Camp with his men.

He wasn't officially in office until the day after tomorrow, so he didn't do anything else today but first tested the various training equipment used in the North Camp.

Overall, he was quite satisfied with the soldiers' eyes, which held a mixture of reverence and fear.

"These things have probably been used for a long time and aren't very durable anymore. We'll replace them with new ones starting tomorrow!"

A new general should naturally bring a new look.

As for Lin Daiyu, after returning to the Rongguo Mansion, she went to Xiaoxiang Pavilion first, but as soon as she got back, she saw Jia Baoyu waiting for her.

"Sister!" Jia Baoyu exclaimed excitedly, "That Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion is no good place. I—" He couldn't bring himself to say such a thing as being mocked, mainly because he didn't understand what they were saying. They weren't speaking official language; he could only tell from their expressions that they were mocking him.

Jia Baoyu changed the subject: "I originally wanted to take you with me, but they wouldn't let me in. What's the reason for that? Sister, are you alright?"

Lin Daiyu's rebellious nature is not only reflected in her inability to listen to those who try to control her, but also in her inability to accept useless concern.

“How am I bad?” Lin Daiyu retorted. “You left first, yet you still say the Marquis of Zhongyong’s mansion is bad. How come I don’t think the Marquis of Zhongyong’s mansion is bad? Their servants speak politely without being obsequious, they are warm-hearted and attentive in their work without showing any displeasure. I think the servants of your Rongguo Mansion should learn from them. Third Brother… is not that kind of person either.”

The last sentence was not very certain and had a clear bias, but unfortunately Jia Baoyu didn't realize it.

Jia Baoyu was both angry and helpless: "Good sister, what do you mean by 'your Rongguo Mansion'? We are one family, and besides—"

"Who's family with you?" Lin Daiyu sneered. "Do you even know your own surname? Do you even know mine? I should be asking you the same thing: why aren't you preparing your tuition? Do you think the Earl of Zhongyong isn't worthy to be your teacher? How old are you? Do you need someone else to remind you of these things?"

The rapid, urgent questions, delivered in quick succession, were clearly not questions but scoldings. Jia Baoyu was both angry and anxious: "Why do you do this to me, sister? Not only is your temper growing, but if you get annoyed—"

"My dear Second Master Bao, why are you still fooling around here?"

Xiren rushed in anxiously, but as usual she didn't see Lin Daiyu. She grabbed Jia Baoyu's arm and was about to leave: "Master is awake. Yuchuan from Madam's room is calling you. She wants you to go and pay your respects quickly."

Upon hearing that Jia Zheng had woken up, Jia Baoyu slumped down completely, unable to even argue with Lin Daiyu. Xiren easily pulled him away.

To cover up the fact that she hadn't seen Miss Lin, Xiren kept talking all the way.

"Third Master is already waiting outside, and the three young ladies are in the old lady's room, which is close by. If you don't hurry up, you'll be the last one to arrive. Do you think the master will scold you?"

He'd scold him, no matter which time he went; the master didn't discriminate when he scolded him. Jia Baoyu thought listlessly.

Xiren continued, "I told you you should have waited for Master to wake up in Madam's room back then, why did you have to come back? Sigh... Miss Lin, I can't say anything. Even if you are with Miss Lin, Second Master, Master and Madam should always come first."

Xiren pulled him all the way out of the Grand View Garden and escorted him to Madam Wang's courtyard before stopping.

Jia Baoyu straightened his clothes and entered Lady Wang's room.

Lady Wang lived in the main house of the Rongguo Mansion, which was the highest-ranking house in the mansion. Like Grandmother Jia's house, it also had a porch in front. When Jia Baoyu went in, he saw the three sisters and Jia Huan waiting there.

Seeing him approach, Sanchun was fine, but Jia Huan stood up while bowing his head and said loudly, "Second Brother is here."

Inside, Madam Wang sneered inwardly. Didn't she understand what this meant? She wanted her husband to know that Baoyu was late.

Madam Wang gave a signal, and the maid lifted the curtain to invite them in to pay their respects.

The five people lined up in order and went in one by one to pay their respects to Jia Zheng.

When Jia Zheng looked over, the first person he saw was Jia Baoyu. Including the neighboring Ningguo Mansion, he was one of the two most handsome.

Jia Zheng put down his teacup: "While I've been away for the past two years, have you been doing your studies properly?"

Jia Baoyu's panic was palpable to everyone in the room.

Madam Wang smiled and said, "Master has just returned, why are you asking about this? The Empress ordered him to study with the ladies in the garden that day, how could he not listen? But since you've just returned, even if you want to check his studies, you should wait until he's rested."

Jia Zheng nodded in agreement, agreeing that it was indeed true; even if he were to read an article now, he wouldn't be able to tell whether it was good or bad.

After the formalities were completed and the younger generation left, Jia Zheng got up again, intending to meet his guests.

Jia Baoyu was distraught and stumbled along the way, unable to hear anyone calling him, and thus returned to the Grand View Garden.

Two maids followed behind him, smiling at Xiren, "I don't know what's wrong with Master Bao? Maybe it's because Master is back. He's stopped eating rouge and smelling perfume. We were afraid he'd bump into something, so we specially followed him back."

Xiren appreciated the kindness and took out some silver ingots: "These are from the New Year, and I still have a few left. Take them and play with them."

After Xiren saw the maid out, she sat down next to Jia Baoyu. Suddenly, he came to his senses and shouted, "Quickly bring me my homework from the past two years! Master wants to see it!"

These kinds of things, which Xiren usually kept carefully, were found and watched as Jia Baoyu counted them one by one.

On the day Jia Zheng left the capital, he assigned three tasks:

Reading, writing articles, and practicing calligraphy.

When Jia Baoyu took stock of everything, he was dumbfounded.

Let's first eliminate reading, which yielded no significant results and was the easiest to fake. He wrote fewer than ten articles, and less than fifty pages of text.

"But where are we still searching? How come there's only this much information? Master has been gone for two and a half years, I—"

You only write two pieces of calligraphy a month at most?

The master originally asked him to write two or three articles a month, at least twenty words a month.

He thought that if he included holidays and his ancestors' birthdays, and calculated it as nine or ten months a year, that would be about two hundred words and twenty articles a year, which would be enough to get by.

The master was away for two and a half years, which translates to five hundred words and fifty articles.

this?

Jia Baoyu stared at the thin stack of papers on the table, speechless.

"Lin Daiyu had told me before, I... I should have listened to her."

Xiren wasn't worried about Bao Erye not doing his homework well, since there was always the old lady and the madam. She was only worried that she wouldn't be able to become a concubine.

“Miss Lin, since you know this, why don’t you try to persuade the Second Master?” Xi Ren pulled him to sit down at the table. “The Second Master should make up as much as he can.”

How could Jia Baoyu possibly concentrate on his studies? He was in a state of confusion and anxiety, and he scribbled on three sheets of paper before his writing was even remotely presentable.

Jia Zheng met with several guests who had stayed at home. He originally planned to eat, drink, and chat, but after only two cups of wine, Jia Zheng was already feeling the effects of the alcohol.

"It's alright." He smiled and stood up. "You all just eat. I've been traveling for a month to get back. I was holding back my anger because His Majesty urgently summoned me. Now that I'm back, my anger has dissipated, and I'm naturally tired."

The guests rose to see Jia Zheng off.

Jia Zheng did not go to Lady Wang's room or look for Aunt Zhao, but rested in the inner study. After all, he was not young and needed to take care of himself.

But when people are extremely tired, they find it difficult to fall asleep.

Jia Zheng couldn't help but ponder the Marquis of Zhongyong again.

The old matriarch called the Loyal and Brave Earl the culprit, someone who meddled in other people's business. But Jia Zheng also knew that she was getting old and increasingly intolerant of being disobeyed. Just like last time when he hit Baoyu, Grandmother Jia even said things like "unfilial." Therefore, he couldn't listen to everything she said.

As for Wang Shi… you can only believe two out of ten things she says. Jia Zheng also knows a little about the style of Wang Shi’s servants, and Aunt Zhao has often talked about them to him. Although it’s just a sentence or two each time, over time, Zhou Rui and his wife… can only be said to be completely justified, and even given a lenient sentence.

Jia Zheng was glad that the matter was resolved before he returned, otherwise he would have been the one upset.

Then there's Jia Zhen, the clan head next door. This man lives a dissolute life, has no morals, and only cares about profit. Jia Zheng feels disgusted just thinking about his name, and he can't believe a word he says.

Zhao then said quite a bit, mentioning that the Marquis of Zhongyong was generous and kind, but Jia Zheng didn't believe it. Kindness from the battlefield?

His guests didn't say anything, only that they had never dealt with the Earl of Zhongyong and knew nothing about him.

That's more like it. These women from the inner quarters are talking so eloquently, but where do they know anything about the Earl of Zhongyong? They've never even met him.

Jia Zheng then summoned Jia Lian and asked, "What is the temperament and character of the Earl of Zhongyong? Does he have any favorite possessions?"

"A beloved possession?" Jia Lian sneered. "The beloved possession of the Marquis of Zhongyong is Miss Lin. His sister Feng has been to Xiaoxiang Pavilion and said that everything the Marquis of Zhongyong gave to Miss Lin was of the finest quality, even better than the good things the Wang family received when they were in charge of maritime transport."

But Jia Lian didn't intend to say that. The old lady had a relieved expression that said, "With the Second Master back, we're saved." What did his hard work as the steward matter?

Is it considered hard work for him?

"I haven't had any dealings with him. We exchanged a couple of words, but it was nothing special. However, when I first went to the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence to deliver the invitation, he was chatting and laughing with the eunuch. But when it was someone from the Shuntian Prefecture, he became completely unfriendly."

Jia Zheng pondered for a moment and said, "I understand. You may leave now."

After seeing Jia Lian off, Jia Zheng had an idea.

In his youth, Jia Zheng was a carefree and unrestrained person who indulged in poetry and wine. It was only in order to bring glory to his ancestors that he became the person he is today.

Just by looking at how he treats Jia Baoyu, you can see the contradiction in his heart.

Although he made Jia Baoyu study, pushing him hard every day, he wouldn't hire a single famous teacher for him.

The reason Jia Baoyu went to study at the family school was because his tutor had gone home. He also met Qin Zhong and they went together to the clan's free school. Now, six or seven years have passed. Even if the previous tutor has died, surely a new tutor could be found?

No.

Although he never told anyone, Jia Zheng harbored a dream that his son would come to his senses on his own.

Compared to his eldest son, who had excelled in his studies since childhood, he actually preferred his second son, Jia Baoyu, who was very similar to him.

He hoped that Baoyu could return to the right path, but he missed his younger self even more. With the old lady intervening, he ended up managing Baoyu while also indulging him.

Jia Zheng's personality became even more complex when he was with Lin Ruhai.

Jia Zheng felt a mixture of envy and jealousy towards his brother-in-law, who came from a powerful family and had achieved the rank of Tan Hua in the imperial examination. He even went so far as to feign excessive self-correction.

Moreover, by process of elimination, we can find out who told Jia Min the evaluation that Lin Daiyu heard from Jia Min: "Extremely unruly, hates studying, loves to hang out in the inner chambers, and is extremely spoiled by her maternal grandmother, so no one dares to discipline her."

Jia Zheng's emotions were more or less passed on to Lin Daiyu.

In short, it was impossible for him to send his niece away, and it was even more impossible for her to marry a rude and obsequious military officer. But as for the specifics, he would have to wait until he met with the Earl of Zhongyong.

Jia Zheng thought he could get the right conclusion by asking many people, but he didn't consider one thing: what if the Earl of Zhongyong ignored him?

Besides, he is the uncle, but the uncle and the niece do not have the same surname.

Jia Zheng slept soundly. Years ago, when his father was dying, he worried that his young son was not mature enough and would be deceived. His widowed wife was a woman who stayed at home and could not protect the family business. She once taught Jia Zheng a trick.

...Don't panic in a crisis, leave it for three days...

Therefore, it's understandable that Jia Zhen always complained that the Rongguo Mansion always delayed things until the last day, turning good things into bad things.

This is a brilliant plan left behind by the second Duke of Rongguo.

The problem is that the second Duke of Rong was a capable man; he was so outstanding that when the emperor allowed him to inherit the title, he was not demoted.

His three-day break scared his subordinates and also made them handle things more properly.

The fact that Grandmother Jia and Jia Zheng gave each other three days off not only taught the servants to follow suit, but also made them think that their masters knew nothing and were easy to fool.

Moreover, the Duke of Rongguo never expected the Rongguo Mansion to fall so quickly, and his widowed wife and young son were completely inflexible.

Jia Lian is now truly neither anxious nor flustered. He returned home and chatted with Wang Xifeng again.

"The Second Master asked about the Marquis of Zhongyong." Jia Lian chuckled mischievously, his eyes sparkling with excitement, which made Ping'er somewhat lost in thought.

“I said that the Marquis of Zhongyong is obsequious and arrogant. The Second Master is a man of upright character, respectful to the virtuous and humble, and detests arrogant and conceited people the most. Humph, let him handle the matter. Don’t come to me for help if there are any problems.”

Wang Xifeng was inspecting the bodice the embroiderer had made for Qiao Jie'er when she heard this and laughed, "You'd better keep quiet about this, don't go around saying anything."

“I certainly wouldn’t say that outside.” Jia Lian sat down, took a sip of tea, and tentatively asked, “I saw Lin Daiyu go to the Marquis of Zhongyong’s residence today. Even after all this, they still haven’t set a date?”

Wang Xifeng put the selected undergarments aside and handed another stack to Ping'er: "Throw them in their faces! How dare you be so perfunctory with what I ordered?"

Ping'er took the things out, and Wang Xifeng sat down next to Jia Lian and said with a smile, "I heard from the storeroom staff a few days ago that Yuanyang went to take inventory. I reckon it'll be spring soon."

“Marrying into the Zhongyong Earl’s mansion and becoming the Earl’s wife will cost more than 30,000 to 50,000 taels of silver,” Jia Lian said gloatingly.

Wang Xifeng recalled the last time she and Jia Lian discussed the expenses for the Rongguo Mansion's daughters' weddings, and chimed in, "Who says otherwise? There's not much left in the public coffers, and the old lady's personal savings can't all be given away. I'm afraid the eldest and second sons' families will have to pay out of pocket."

Jia Lian took a peanut from the fruit box on the table, rubbed off the skin, and threw it into his mouth, exuding a somewhat roguish air: "We are the younger generation, so two pieces of jewelry will suffice."

Jia Lian thought to himself that although he couldn't stop Lin Daiyu from marrying into the Zhongyong Earl's Mansion, he could make the Rongguo Mansion and the Zhongyong Earl's Mansion at odds.

After sending Lin Daiyu to Yangzhou and returning, although they only saw each other once a month, Jia Lian could tell that the way Lin Daiyu looked at him was strange. Jia Lian was also afraid that after Lin Daiyu married into the Zhongyong Earl's family, she might do something to him.

Therefore, it was only natural for him to make this choice.

If the Rongguo Mansion and the Zhongyong Earl's Mansion have a good relationship, then he must be shown to be a villain, and all the hatred must be directed at him alone.

The Marquis of Zhongyong is not like those good-for-nothings in the Rongguo Mansion; disliking him is just a matter of giving him a look.

The Earl of Zhongyong was a proper first-class earl, and also the commander-in-chief of the Northern Camp. He was truly capable of taking action.

So the only way is to make the Rongguo Mansion and the Zhongyong Earl's Mansion at odds, so that he won't attract too much attention. If he wants revenge, he should take it out on our whole family.

Of course, he felt that given the old lady's personality, their two families would not get along.

But since there's a chance to add some dregs, why not?

From the second day after Jia Zheng returned, he was summoned for questioning every day, sometimes spending the entire day at the yamen. Although Grandmother Jia felt sorry for him, she was helpless and could only continue to curse the Earl of Zhongyong in secret.

Mu Chuan did not suffer any bad luck because of the old lady's curses, and everything went smoothly.

In the morning, he led the soldiers in training, starting with the most basic walking and marching drills, and in the afternoon, he arranged for them to row dragon boats.

First, the personnel are selected. Each dragon boat needs one drummer, one helmsman, and ten paddlers.

The drummer was responsible for boosting morale and controlling the pace of the march. Mu Chuan felt that no one in the entire Northern Camp could boost morale better than him.

The helmsman needs to control the direction and route of the dragon boat, so he needs a steady and reliable person – Mu Chuan thought his eldest nephew, Li Chengwu, would be the best choice.

The main point is that this was a genuine nobleman who had been hiding in the mountains for more than half a month. He was saved by him when he was on the verge of death, which is a unique experience.

And where are the dragon boat races held?

The Western Garden of the Imperial Palace.

Li Chengwu, being a nobleman and holding the rank of a third-grade official, had many opportunities to visit the Western Garden, so he was certainly familiar with the area. He could even sneak off to paddle a couple of times in the lake beforehand, and no one could say anything.

Those who want to row, just by thinking about how this is a team sport, will know how to select the right people.

In about five days, Mu Chuan inspected all 6,700 soldiers in the Northern Camp, selected 30 men who were of roughly the same height and weight, and arranged them in a large dormitory room. The rest of the training was just that.

Cardiopulmonary function, endurance, strength, explosiveness, and most importantly, coordination. When the weather gets warmer, even those who can't swim will need to learn.

Mu Chuan hired a professional rowing instructor, and after careful study, he divided the rowing motion into five steps. He planned to instill this mechanized set of steps into the minds of these people over the next four and a half months.

Of course, one must never forget that knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory, and seeking help from external forces—such as Eunuch Bai and Eunuch Zhong—is also essential.

After finishing all these tasks, with both the Northern Camp and the dragon boat races on track, Mu Chuan returned to the capital. It just so happened that there was another morning court session the following day.

There was only one thing at this morning's court session that could barely be considered related to Mu Chuan.

Wang Ziteng's career was put on hold.

Yes, it's been shelved, not dismissed.

Just as Zhong Jun said last time, the emperor granted him the rank of a first-grade martial artist, but did not assign him any duties. He only said that he had worked hard and told him to rest first, and then left him here.

After the court session, Mu Chuan went to the Imperial Study to request an audience with the Emperor.

There haven't been any major events in the court lately, and it's just the beginning of spring, with no floods or droughts. The emperor seemed to be in a good mood during the morning court session, so Mu Chuan confidently decided to have a private chat with him.

"Your Majesty." Mu Chuan placed his calligraphy practice and the calligraphy copybook Lin Daiyu had written for him on the table. "Your Majesty, do you think my calligraphy is any better? I've been practicing for ten days now."

The emperor chuckled twice: "What can one achieve in ten days? My son has only just begun to improve after ten days—and it seems he has actually improved somewhat. Go and fetch the memorial submitted by the Marquis of Zhongyong last time."

The eunuch quickly brought over the item, which the emperor spread out and compared. He then called Mu Chuan over and said, "The writing is not so messy now; each stroke is in place."

The emperor turned two pages and asked again, "Who wrote this calligraphy copybook for you?"

Mu Chuan said proudly, "This is Miss Lin's handwriting. Isn't it beautiful?"

The emperor laughed and said, "Good! Much better than you! Compared to her, even if I were biased, I could only say: Qiao Yue, have you just learned to write?"

Mu Chuan then pressed on, saying, "I heard from Miss Lin that Lord Lin's handwriting is even better than hers, especially his official script. It's not remarkable on its own, but if you put everyone's official script together, Lord Lin's is immediately recognizable. It's just a pity that all of Lord Lin's letters and handwriting were burned back then, and Miss Lin only has a few letters left, so I have nowhere to learn from him."

This wasn't a lie by Mu Chuan; the people he sent to gather information did indeed say that.

Burning letters is a normal thing. After all, Lin Ruhai is an important official of the court. If people keep his correspondence, they will wonder if the Rongguo Mansion is up to something.

Some very important letters might even have been personally destroyed by Lin Ruhai before his death.

But Mu Chuan felt the emperor wouldn't think that way; the emperor had been agonizing over this for years. Now, finally, there was an opportunity to prove that Lin Ruhai wasn't such a scoundrel, and that the emperor wasn't so blind.

The emperor hesitated for a moment, then called out, "Qiao Yue..."

Mu Chuan waited for a long time before the emperor said again, "Go and ask Miss Lin how many memorials Lin Ruhai submitted to the court when he died?"

Wasn't this exactly what Mu Chuan had been pushing for? Naturally, he agreed.

However, the emperor was preoccupied at the moment and did not say much, only telling him to practice dragon boat racing. Mu Chuan then took the opportunity to make a request: "I am the drummer and Li Chengwu is the helmsman. I would like to go with him to the West Garden to check out the venue."

The emperor chuckled twice: "Isn't this cheating?"

Mu Chuan said with an upright expression, "Of the five major camps of the Beijing Garrison, only I have never been to the Western Garden."

"That actually makes sense?" the emperor said. "I grant your permission. I'll have them prepare another ship, and you can go and try it out."

Mu Chuan took his leave, satisfied.

Having entered the palace and met the emperor, one cannot fail to meet the retired emperor; otherwise, effective and healthy competition cannot be fostered.

Mu Chuan went to the Daming Palace to pay his respects first, and after inquiring about the Emperor Emeritus's diet, he suggested, "Why not send a few Imperial Guards to the Northern Camp for training? Rotate them every ten days?"

Dai Quan stopped him first: "No, no, this is taboo."

Alright, the first request was too rude and was rejected. Now it's time to make the second, more reasonable request.

Mu Chuan then repeated that he was the only general among the five major camps of the Beijing Garrison who had never been to the Western Garden.

The retired emperor was the kind of person who would kill with power and profit, so he immediately said, "My son is too stingy. Of the generals of the five camps, apart from you, which one hasn't rowed a boat in the Western Garden more than ten times? Dai Quan, bring me my token."

However, when the items arrived, the Emperor Emeritus hesitated again.

The professional chief steward, Dai Quan, said, "General, we must be careful. It would be best to go in disguise and not let anyone see us."

Mu Chuan nodded: "I'll only go once, just to take a look. I can't hide it, so I'll have those rowers go a few more times."

Who is the retired emperor? He once personally taught Mu Chuan how to form factions. Moreover, Mu Chuan even guided him: "You're a retired emperor now, do you still need to be mindful of others' feelings?"

Seeing Mu Chuan like this, the retired emperor was a little displeased. He said, "How can I, a retired emperor, be controlled by others?"

He pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "When spring arrives and flowers bloom, the scenery of the West Garden will be beautiful. When I visit the West Garden, I will summon you to accompany me."