Chapter 62 The Lai family was arrested. "Third Brother is the oldest in the world..."

The day after the court session, as usual, was Mu Chuan's calligraphy class and Jia Baoyu's basic equestrian and archery lessons.

Mu Chuan calculated that it was about time and waited in the front yard of the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence.

This time, the servants of the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion have finally made some progress.

Some were sweeping the floor, some were carrying water or ladders to pose for photos, and others were trimming garden plants and creating landscaping.

In short, although there are still nearly twenty people, at least it's not the same style anymore.

After waiting for a while, Mu Chuan saw the carriages come in, and Lin Daiyu and Jia Baoyu got off the two carriages one after the other.

Mu Chuan went to greet him, and Lin Daiyu felt a little strange, especially when she glanced at Jia Baoyu beside her, which made her feel even more strange.

...But how could Third Brother pretend to be so nonchalant?

"Lord Zhongyong." Lin Daiyu curtsied. Mu Chuan paused and glared at Jia Baoyu.

The two were quite different in height, and Jia Baoyu bowed his head in greeting, so he didn't see the fierce look in his eyes.

Mu Chuan, channeling his third uncle again, spoke in a calm and deep voice: "Let me see how your horse stance is?"

What can be done? Jia Baoyu hasn't practiced at all these past few days. He hasn't even left the house. He said he was catching up on his studies at home in preparation for his master's questioning, but Jia Zheng is going to the yamen every day to be questioned. How could he have time to test his studies?

Jia Baoyu only took two days to catch up before falling into a vicious cycle: I need to rest for a bit → I've rested for too long → I'm a good-for-nothing → I need to work hard to improve myself!

Upon hearing what the Earl of Zhongyong said, Jia Baoyu became anxious again.

He took a deep breath, lifted his hem, and struck a high pose.

Then... Mu Chuan sighed, a sigh meant for Lin Daiyu to hear, a sigh of utter disappointment and frustration.

“I remember last time I tested you, you could hold your breath for about four or five breaths. This time… it’s not that you haven’t improved at all, but you’re just a bit more determined, so you were able to improve from four or five breaths to five or six.”

Jia Baoyu shrank back and didn't say anything.

Mu Chuan refrained from signaling to Lin Daiyu that he was a good-for-nothing. Instead, he sternly asked, "Did you practice when you got back?"

Jia Baoyu uttered two sounds from his throat, lowered his head, and whispered, "I've practiced it."

"Is this the result of your ten days of training? With your... childlike foundation, you should have doubled your progress in ten days."

Jia Baoyu explained, "I have other lessons to do. Also, my master is back, and I have to serve him. So I haven't had much time to practice."

Mu Chuan sneered twice. Although he did not value Jia Zheng, he was well-informed and knew that Jia Zheng had been summoned for questioning these past few days.

"Oh?" Mu Chuan scoffed. "Since you went, which government office summoned your master?"

Jia Baoyu shuddered. Although he was ignorant of worldly affairs, he still had common sense.

His father was an official, so the trial would definitely be a joint trial by the three judicial departments.

Of the three judicial departments, the Ministry of Justice was responsible for trials, the Court of Judicial Review was responsible for review, and the Censorate was responsible for supervision.

After thinking for a moment, Jia Baoyu whispered, "It's the Ministry of Justice."

Mu Chuan sneered again: "The phrase 'working day and night without eating' is fitting for you on its own, but when put together, it's irrelevant to you. Your master is in the Imperial Clan Court. I won't keep you any longer; go and serve your master. Do you know where the Imperial Clan Court is? Don't get lost."

Mu Chuan turned and left. Lin Daiyu looked around. Although her third brother looked rather frightening, Jia Baoyu was a disgrace.

She sighed and called out again, "...Baoyu." Then she turned and followed her third brother.

The two went to the study.

Lin Daiyu thought about it and figured that her third brother was probably really angry.

She's clearly obsessed with this guy who's so devoted to his work that he forgets to eat and sleep. Even if all he thinks about is being a brother, she's still going to get angry.

But was her acting really that good?

"Third Brother," Lin Daiyu called out, a little guilty, "Don't be angry."

Mu Chuan sighed: "Is it really necessary to have him?"

Lin Daiyu looked up at him, and their eyes met. Mu Chuan's eyes were full of disappointment and anger.

So her acting was flawless? She... wasn't that kind of person to Jia Baoyu.

“Daiyu, since you call me Third Brother, let me ask you, among all these talented young men in the capital, just tell me what kind you like.”

Lin Daiyu felt increasingly guilty, and then she thought about how frightening her third brother had looked earlier. It was all because of her third brother that she was scared.

She lowered her head: "Third Brother, it's a marriage arranged by my father."

In the end, Third Brother couldn't go down and ask.

It's all Third Brother's fault!

"Although I am reluctant to speak of Lord Lin, times have changed. The Rongguo Mansion is no good family, and Jia Baoyu is no good match for him. I also went to the Rongguo Mansion to inquire about his affairs. He is indiscriminate in his relationships, having affairs with both men and women, and has even driven his own maid to her death. That's not all; he also abducted an actress kept by the Prince of Zhongshun's family. That would be bad enough, but in the end, he betrayed her, causing her to be arrested and taken back by the Prince of Zhongshun. His character is extremely poor. How can such a person be a good match for you?"

"And then there's that 'golden and jade match.' Since he's engaged to you, why is there talk of a 'golden and jade match' in the Rongguo Mansion? Even if that Miss Xue is a merchant, how could he have chosen her? If it weren't for me, what would you have done? If the Rongguo Mansion were a good family, how could they allow their young master to be rumored to be engaged to their cousin for so many years?"

Although Lin Daiyu was a bit deliberate at first, everything her third brother said was the truth. Without her third brother, she dared not imagine what she would have become.

Perhaps it would be better to die.

"Third Brother, please stop talking," Lin Daiyu weakly retorted. "I...I'll teach you to write."

"Why are you still writing?" Mu Chuan felt sorry for him. "You should drink this."

Mu Chuan specially brewed her some fruit tea, which was sweet and fragrant. After drinking a hot cup, Lin Daiyu felt much better.

Although she didn't understand why her third brother wanted to introduce her to promising young men, her brother's concern was really endearing.

"Third Brother, I always listen to what you say." Lin Daiyu put down her cup, and Mu Chuan poured her another cup.

“I used to always feel listless in winter, and I didn’t like going out or sunbathing. But with my third brother, I haven’t been sick all winter. Third brother, whatever you say goes.”

Lin Daiyu spoke very sincerely; she had indeed been like that before. After having her third brother, she seemed to be able to easily recount her past hardships.

"I'm not forcing you." Mu Chuan sighed. Although Daiyu looked sad and fragile, he couldn't help but test her.

“How about we find someone different from Jia Baoyu? Hmm, he’s a weak and spoiled brat, barely considered a scholar, but he’s completely unrelated to martial arts. He has a large family and can’t make decisions. How about someone who takes the military path? Someone who can make decisions on their own, doesn’t have a large family, and is worthy of your family background.”

Military general?

To make your own decisions?

Do you have a small family?

It has to be someone of the right age who is worthy of her?

Who is this referring to? Lin Daiyu sneered inwardly. Her third brother was truly the most honest person in the world.

In an instant, the desire to see some fun overwhelmed everything else; Lin Daiyu only wanted to know how he would handle the situation.

However, there seems to be a little drama to watch: "Third Brother, do you remember? You said you could teach Baoyu well. This is only the second time, and you've already kicked him out."

“Let’s practice calligraphy.” Mu Chuan immediately stood up. “His Majesty also said that my calligraphy has improved significantly.”

Lin Daiyu held back and didn't say anything. If he noticed anything amiss, the fun would be greatly diminished.

But she still wanted to do something.

The two sat down at the long desk again, and Lin Daiyu flipped through his homework.

"Not bad. Third Brother writes these characters very well, with straight lines and neat strokes."

The homework she assigned last time was something like "正、中、王、五", and there were a few more advanced versions, such as "田、早、再".

Today's original plan was to add some hooks or slant strokes to the basic horizontal and vertical lines, and then connect them with basic radicals, like the characters "册", "相", and "枉".

She even wrote out the calligraphy template.

But Lin Daiyu suddenly changed her mind; she decided to make things a bit more difficult.

"Last time we practiced characters with horizontal and vertical strokes, today we'll learn characters that don't have horizontal and vertical strokes."

Lin Daiyu picked up her brush as if guided by a divine hand, and first wrote the three characters: “woman, heart, with, now”.

The character for "woman" looks simple, but it's actually one of the most difficult characters to write. You could say that when you can write the same "woman" character every time, you've entered the realm of calligraphy.

"You give it a try first," Lin Daiyu said with a smile.

Mu Chuan started writing, hmm...

Lin Daiyu sighed deliberately, "I'll teach you slowly."

In short, after Mu Chuan wrote those four opening words several times, Lin Daiyu began to feel guilty.

"I asked you to write this not for any other reason than to let you know that practicing calligraphy is a slow and steady process. Not only do you have to practice every day, but you also have to put in the effort to think about it."

Lin Daiyu, with a confident air of "everything is under control," put the paper aside and said, "Let's start with something simple."

Now Mu Chuan's progress is back to normal.

The two began practicing calligraphy, and Jia Baoyu returned to the Rongguo Mansion.

"Why are you back so early today?" Xiren asked in surprise.

Jia Baoyu slumped back on the couch and said, "That Marquis Zhongyong wasn't really teaching me."

Xi Ren said with heartache, "Then let's tell the old lady that we shouldn't go there anymore."

Jia Baoyu hummed in agreement but did not get up. He had been to the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence before, and when he returned, the old lady asked him all sorts of questions. He had only stayed in the training ground for a short while and had not said a word to the Marquis of Zhongyong, so how would he know all that?

What if the old lady asks again?

"Go pour me a cup of tea and get me some snacks. I didn't have much of an appetite this morning, and I'm a little hungry now."

In the Grand View Garden, Aunt Zhao hid her way to Qiushuangzhai.

"These are some scraps of cloth I prepared, all in pretty colors. Please take them to Miss Lin."

Tan Chun was writing when she saw Aunt Zhao arrive. Her hand trembled, and the piece of writing was ruined. She glared fiercely at Aunt Zhao.

Aunt Zhao got angry when she saw her like this. She sat down and mocked, "You write so well, young lady, but why don't you teach your younger brother?"

"Auntie, you have some free time today?" Tan Chun asked coldly. "Didn't Madam ask you to copy Buddhist scriptures?"

Aunt Zhao retorted sharply, "I heard that Madam has lectured the young lady again? I wonder what she lectured her about this time? I advised the young lady to be more careful, but how could Madam possibly be truly looking out for the young lady?"

"Stay away from me, Auntie! Stop embarrassing yourself!" Tan Chun vented. "Then Madam will find me more pleasing to the eye!"

Aunt Zhao chuckled, "Before, when the young lady was still young, there were some things I couldn't say. But the third day of the third month is the young lady's sixteenth birthday, and she's a grown woman now, so I can say these things."

Aunt Zhao's eyes widened, and her tone sharpened: "Madam can't possibly be good to you. Master Bao was born on April 26th, and you were born on March 3rd. I conceived you while Madam was in confinement. Madam remembers this the moment she sees you, especially around your birthday, and you're always in her presence. You—"

Aunt Zhao chuckled, "It's impossible for Madam to be good to you."

"Get out! Get out!" Tan Chun's tears fell instantly.

Aunt Zhao stood up: "I advise you to be more clear-headed and make plans sooner rather than later."

Just as Tan Chun was about to scold, Shi Shu rushed in with a look of horror: "Miss, Miss! Steward Lai has been taken away by the officials!"

"ah?"

Not to mention Tan Chun, even Aunt Zhao panicked.

Who is Butler Lai?

Aunt Zhao rushed out in two strides: "I'll go ask at the front."

"How dare they!" Grandmother Jia slammed her fist on the table in anger. Perhaps she was in too much pain from the force, or perhaps she was too angry, because tears streamed down her face.

"That's the steward of the Rongguo Mansion! Even a seventh-rank official is treated like dirt before the Prime Minister; the Rongguo Mansion is a Duke's mansion!"

Yuanyang quickly knelt down: "Grandmother, please calm down, don't get upset and harm your health."

As soon as she knelt down, all the maids in the room followed suit, kneeling on the ground and pleading, "Please, Your Majesty, calm your anger."

Yuanyang knelt down and shuffled forward two steps to soothe Grandmother Jia.

"Where is your Master Zheng?" Grandmother Jia asked sternly.

"I went to the yamen to give a reply early this morning," Yuanyang replied meekly.

"Tell Lian'er to find out the news! What good is he ever doing? He manages the household so well, yet he still manages to slack off!"

Yuanyang didn't dare leave at this moment, but arranged for a maid to go to Wang Xifeng to give instructions.

But before Grandmother Jia could make any arrangements, another incident occurred. Lady Wang's face turned ashen, and she ordered two old women to drag her in.

Although Grandmother Jia didn't like her, she was going to the palace to pay her respects to the Empress today.

"Yuan Chun! What happened to Yuan Chun?" Grandmother Jia asked, trembling.

Lady Wang seemed to come to her senses, her eyes darted around slightly, and then she turned to Grandmother Jia: "Grandmother! Grandmother! The Empress ordered Yuan Chun to rest quietly in the palace and forbade me from paying my respects. I couldn't even enter through the North Gate."

"Your Majesty is the Imperial Concubine!" Grandmother Jia came to her senses and dared not call Yuan Chun anymore. Her brows furrowed. "Imperial Concubine... Imperial Concubine! It must be that the Empress is afraid of her."

Is that so? Lady Wang looked at Grandmother Jia with suspicion, but hoped she would give a positive answer.

“That’s how it is in the palace,” Grandmother Jia said firmly. “You need His Majesty’s favor and a high rank. His Majesty’s favor is limited, and people in the palace are fighting to the death. Sometimes, a cup of tea or a word can be a trap set by someone else. Your Highness was just careless for a moment.”

Lady Wang breathed a slight sigh of relief. Her Yuan Chun was almost twenty-five when she was made a concubine, and she became a Noble Consort directly. Doesn't that prove that the Emperor loves her?

But that wasn't the end of it. Just as the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were anxiously encouraging each other, Jia Zhen stormed in, furious.

Madam Wang hurriedly sat down to the side, but before she could even put on a proper expression, Jia Zhen asked sternly, "Old Madam, my steward, Lai Er, has been arrested by the authorities. Do you have any leads?"

Grandmother Jia was startled, narrowed her eyes, and said in a sarcastic tone, "Is this how you talk to me?"

"What kind of time is this to be thinking about? The Rongguo Mansion will fall into ruin in your hands sooner or later." Jia Zhen wanted to say something more, but he was afraid that saying it would really anger her, so he had to swallow his words.

"Where is Miss Lin? I have some questions for her." Jia Zhen decided not to get entangled with Grandmother Jia and only wanted to see Lin Daiyu.

Grandmother Jia knew Jia Zhen's temperament, but she was really angry, so she didn't even look at him and said irritably, "She went to the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion!"

Jia Zhen's mood improved somewhat: "When will the betrothal ceremony be held?"

Madam Wang was startled. A betrothal? What betrothal?

Grandmother Jia's hesitation made Jia Zhen laugh in exasperation: "If I weren't unable to enter the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion, why would I bother coming here to be humiliated? Just keep dragging it out. Let's see how the Marquis of Zhongyong thanks you in the end!"

After saying this, Jia Zhen turned and left, but after taking only two steps, he turned back and threatened, "Old lady, if you still don't make a move, don't blame me for taking action."

After Jia Zhen left, all the maids in the room were so frightened that they held their breath and didn't dare to utter a single word.

Lady Wang hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "Grandmother, I think it would be better to send them to... the Prince of Nan'an and the Prince of Beijing—"

"Smack!"

Grandmother Jia slapped her across the face, and the hatred in her eyes frightened Lady Wang.

What were you doing all this time!

"You heartless, vile woman! How dare you say such a thing! That's the only child my Min'er left behind! I will never let her become a concubine!"

After scolding Lady Wang with all her might, Grandmother Jia, panting heavily, pointed at the maids in the room and said, "If anyone dares to spread this matter, I'll skin them alive!"

The maids inside the room knelt down one after another.

Grandmother Jia turned to look at Lady Wang, who asked, puzzled, "Grandmother?"

"The girls in the family are all grown up," Grandmother Jia subtly reminded her. "You should also prepare some things to add to your dowry."

Lady Wang was struck dumb. When Grandmother Jia saw her in such a bad state, she felt much better. She took Yuanyang's hand and stood up: "Quickly take your mistress back and cut her two slices of ginseng to suck on, lest she harm her health."

Yuanyang helped Grandmother Jia back to her inner room.

Grandmother Jia took out her own internal inventory list and looked at the records that had been crossed out one by one. The more she looked, the angrier and sadder she became.

But when the time came... since Master Zhen had made his point, Yuanyang hinted, "Our family is, after all, a founding duke's family. We have accumulated a wealth of valuable possessions and a rich heritage. Even if we were to give them as a dowry to a princess, it wouldn't be a loss of face. However, for the wedding, we need to invite relatives and friends, so we need to prepare some cash."

The Rongguo Mansion's accounts are now showing signs of a financial crisis.

The New Year has just passed, and we've spent a lot of money; we haven't even received our profits for the year yet.

You should pawn things early, otherwise pawning too many will drive down prices.

Grandmother Jia understood, but she didn't want to understand: "I'm tired, I need to rest for a while. Tell them not to come for lunch, we can talk about it this afternoon."

After finishing two calligraphy classes in the morning, Mu Chuan took the opportunity to take Lin Daiyu for a walk in the inner garden.

"When Lord Lin passed away, did he submit a memorial to the court?"

Mu Chuan asked very bluntly, and with a little thought, one could tell that he was asking on behalf of someone else.

To whom was Lin Ruhai's memorial addressed?

Who would care about Lin Ruhai's memorial?

Lin Daiyu glanced at him and thought carefully: "Logically, the memorial must have been submitted. But I was only eleven years old at that time, and I stayed in the inner quarters. I could only watch them brew the medicine and watch my father take his medicine and eat every day. I couldn't manage anything else."

“My father was accompanied by a steward, his advisor, and servants in his study. Later, when my father became seriously ill and could not get up, the steward and my second brother Lian handled some matters.”

Mu Chuan asked a couple more questions, then changed the subject: "The best trees in this garden are these two. They're said to have been planted in the previous dynasty, and Princess Mingxiu took good care of them. Look at that pavilion over there—"

Mu Chuan pointed to the pavilion built on the artificial hill in front: "Originally, there were three pavilions around this tree, and there was also a pavilion not far away. I demolished it and only this one is left."

The first time he took her into the inner gate of the Marquis of Zhongyong’s mansion, although Mu Chuan didn’t think the inner gate was anything special, he didn’t dare to take her for too long. They walked around the ancient trees with a great atmosphere for a while, and then went out to eat.

It was early spring, and Mu Chuan prepared some fresh wild vegetables.

Although Rongguo Mansion had no shortage of vegetables in winter, the tender shoots that sprouted in early spring were indeed fresh, juicy, and had a refreshing taste.

Lin Daiyu also liked it quite a bit.

After dinner, as usual, they rested for a while before Mu Chuan took her home.

As soon as Mu Chuan entered the Rongguo Mansion, he saw Jia Lian and Yuanyang, whom he had met before, with several old women following behind them. They hurriedly surrounded him.

Mu Chuan stood next to Lin Daiyu and, while she was getting off the carriage, whispered, "What's wrong with them?"

Lin Daiyu glared at him. Third Brother is truly the most honest man in the world; he never pretends to be stupid.

Seeing the two of them like this, Jia Lian was relieved, and Yuanyang was also relieved.

She brought her servants up to attend to Lin Daiyu. Jia Lian bowed to Mu Chuan and said with a smile, "Thank you for taking care of the young lady, Uncle Zhongyong. We should have been the ones to fetch her."

Mu Chuan glanced at him with a strange smile on his face.

"Third Brother," Lin Daiyu suddenly called out, "Should I go back first?"

How could Jia Lian dare to let her go? If she were here, the Marquis of Zhongyong might be able to talk things out properly, but if she wasn't—ha!

"There is one more thing I would like to ask of you, sir." Jia Lian said quickly with a fawning smile, "Please, for the sake of Lin Daiyu, give me some pointers."

Lin Daiyu suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Mu Chuan laughed heartily, displaying the uninhibited demeanor of a traditional military general: "What is it? Speak."

"Our steward and his family, numbering in the dozens, have all been arrested by the authorities. They served the Rongguo Mansion for many years and made great contributions. We are truly at a loss and beg you, sir, for guidance."

"So that's what it is. Do you have a warrant?" Mu Chuan asked. "If you have a warrant, that's why the government took it away. If you don't have a warrant, they might be targeting the Rongguo Mansion to extort you."

Even though I need their help, this is incredibly disrespectful.

Besides, they suffered a great loss last time, so this time they really took Zhu Piao seriously.

Jia Lian took the red paper and handed it over: "Please take a look, sir."

Mu Chuan took the red ticket and slowly read it from beginning to end, making Jia Lian anxious to ask him if he was illiterate.

“Look—” Mu Chuan pointed to the seal on it, “It’s from the Ministry of Justice. You need to contact the Ministry of Justice.”

Jia Lian's expression was not good. He hadn't believed it before, but now he had no choice but to believe it: the Earl of Zhongyong was playing a trick on him.

"And this," Mu Chuan added, "to impersonate a commoner and change one's registered residence to obtain an official position. That's the Lai family's crime. But did he actually impersonate a commoner and change his registered residence to obtain an official position?"

Jia Lian narrowed his eyes, not daring to speak. After a long while, he argued, "The servants in the house have served me for a long time and served me well, so they should be released from their posts eventually."

Mu Chuan laughed and said, "Isn't that settled? As long as his ancestors for three generations were not slaves, there is no question of him passing off his lowly status as a good person or changing his household registration to buy an official position. The Ministry of Justice can't falsely accuse them. They just need to check the household registration records and explain it clearly."

Jia Lian felt like he couldn't breathe.

“We… this is to give him face. The Marquis of Dingkang, the Earl of Lingzhou, and the posthumously honored Lord Jing were all of humble origin.”

Mu Chuan's face turned cold: "Say that again?"

This is different; all three of them contributed to the founding of the dynasty.

If Jia Lian really dared to say this, then it would be treason.

Jia Lian dared not use the words "founding the nation," he only dared to say "back then."

Seeing his timid and submissive demeanor, Mu Chuan was a little disappointed. He patted Jia Lian on the shoulder and said, "Treason is a serious crime. If you can provide evidence, I can be promoted one rank. I will reward you handsomely then."

Jia Lian didn't want to talk anymore, and he cursed Jia Baoyu in his heart.

Lin Daiyu suddenly coughed lightly, and Mu Chuan looked at her.

"Third Brother, that Steward Lai is quite capable and considerate in serving people. He handles everything I assign him well and quickly."

Jia Lian breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

Mu Chuan was relieved. Wasn't this an implication that he should be sent to Pingnan Town? But this was really difficult. Such a serious crime of confusing social classes was usually punishable by immediate execution. If it could be delayed until the autumn for execution, it was considered an act of leniency outside the law.