Chapter 72 Birthday Banquet "Loyal and Brave Earl Has No Good Intentions!"...

"Please sit down," Wang Xifeng said, pulling Lin Daiyu to sit down. "You must be tired after this morning."

Grandmother Jia didn't think Lin Daiyu was lying to her. After all, she had been to the palace before. It would take at least half an hour to walk from the North Gate to the Empress's Kunning Palace. Even if Yu'er was younger and walked faster than her, it would be very limited.

So, by that calculation, she indeed didn't stay in the Empress's palace for very long.

When Grandmother Jia sighed, it was a sigh of boasting.

"The eunuchs and maids in the palace are all despicable! Their masters are all kind and gentle, but these servants always cause trouble. They won't go in to report if they don't receive a reward, and they even try to falsely accuse others. Who dares to stand up for them? Besides, how can they possibly stand up to the people who serve their masters?"

Lin Daiyu also sighed. What had her maternal grandmother encountered in the palace?

But then she thought back to when she first came to the Jia family, wasn't she the same way...? Her grandmother always said: "Tell me which maid or servant is disobedient, and I'll teach them a lesson."

Surely she didn't learn this in the palace?

But the palace did it on purpose... and my second aunt did it on purpose too.

Lin Daiyu's gaze shifted to Madam Wang: "I didn't find a chance to ask the Imperial Concubine." She added, without thinking, "Second Aunt won't blame me, will she?"

How could Madam Wang not blame her?

Ever since she arrived, even when Jia Baoyu didn't eat properly, Lady Wang would blame it on Lin Daiyu.

"Sigh..." Madam Wang sighed, still trying to save face, "I was hoping your older cousin could take care of you, but it seems you're not so lucky."

Madam Xing chuckled, her expression bright but her laughter sounding sarcastic: "Our Empress is truly admirable. Our family must have been blessed by our ancestors for eight generations to have produced such an Empress."

The imperial concubine, whose entire fortune was emptied, still had eunuchs coming to swindle her every month.

"Alright, enough of this nonsense." Although Grandmother Jia had agreed to Madam Wang's risky plan that morning, now that Yu'er had returned safely, she naturally refused to talk about such things anymore, in case she found out.

Madam Wang was overflowing with a sense of superiority. She assumed that Madam Xing was just jealous and ignored her.

Lady Wang then looked Lin Daiyu up and down, her expression seemingly calm but actually condescending: "The Empress is the kindest. Whenever I go to the palace, I always hear the Noble Consort say that the Empress often keeps her to talk, and they chat for a whole morning. Perhaps your clothes are not appropriate today?"

Lin Daiyu found it amusing. She wanted to hear her second aunt's analysis, so she said, "How would I know? Grandmother, is my clothing inappropriate?"

Madam Xing remained silent this time. It was true that she hated the second branch of the family, but when this niece got married, the eldest branch of the family was also required to give 20,000 taels of gifts and 10,000 taels of cash. Although it was only one-third of the second branch's share, the amount she received was less than one-tenth of the second branch's share. Why should she give up such a large sum?

"Perhaps Her Majesty doesn't like pink," Grandmother Jia said dismissively.

Wang Xifeng had originally intended to praise her, but after hearing what Grandmother Jia said, she simply kept quiet.

Lady Wang continued, "I heard from Her Majesty that the Empress prefers women who are dignified and elegant, just like Her Majesty herself. You saw her when she visited her family. You should learn from your eldest cousin."

How could Jia Yuanchun possibly know the Empress's preferences? She was most familiar with palace rules, having practically worn out three books every two years. Her words were merely to appease Lady Wang and put her at ease; she mentioned several of the Empress's preferences, all based on her own understanding.

The very clever Lady Wang came to the correct conclusion: the Empress liked Yuan Chun, from her appearance to her personality.

Lin Daiyu nodded: "After all, she is the Imperial Concubine."

Madam Wang was satisfied and earnestly admonished, "You still have much to learn. Let me start with one thing: take your past—"

"Alright," Grandmother Jia interrupted her, then gently comforted Lin Daiyu, "Her Majesty has rewarded you with some things, which shows she is very satisfied with you. Don't take it to heart or overthink it."

Yes, it's been like this for over a decade. After saying everything that needs to be said, the next thing they say is: "Don't overthink it."

She really doesn't care anymore.

With Third Brother around, who cares about this insincere concern?

"Shall we eat?" Lin Daiyu asked. "Is the roast suckling pig ready?"

She hadn't felt anything when she was tense, but now that she had relaxed, even Grandmother Jia felt so hungry that her stomach ached. She held out her hand to Lin Daiyu and gave her a warning look around.

Everyone got up and headed to the dining room.

Tan Chun asked in a low voice, "What's it like inside the palace?"

"And... it seems the stone steps and handrails are all made of white marble. The room is a bit bigger than ours, and the sunlight is much better." Lin Daiyu thought for a moment, "The eaves are painted, but actually I didn't dare to look."

“That’s exactly right.” Xue Baochai couldn’t help but say, her tone a little sour. “You have to be even more careful when you’re in the palace. How can you just look around like that? You can’t even look more than three inches away from your toes.”

Everyone could tell from her tone. Tan Chun chuckled and said, "Only after hearing this do I realize that Sister Bao really did prepare well for entering the palace back then, and she learned quite a bit about etiquette."

Xue Baochai's face once again displayed that inscrutable smile; she always wore this expression whenever she heard something she didn't like.

After the meal, Lin Daiyu got up to take her leave: "I need to go back and rest. I'll come back to watch the opera later."

After she finished speaking, she glanced at Shi Xiangyun, but Shi Xiangyun had been so busy doing needlework that she was almost working day and night these past two days, so she didn't have any time to bicker.

Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "The play will last all day. You should rest before you come back."

When Lin Daiyu came out, Jia Baoyu hesitated for a moment before chasing after her and comforting her, "Good sister, don't be sad or upset. Let's hold a poetry club later to make it lively. It doesn't matter whether you go to the palace or not, I'll go with you."

"You..." Lin Daiyu took a deep breath and asked bluntly, "Do you think I'm pitiful?"

Jia Baoyu quickly said, "Sister, don't think like that. We're a big family of sisters, it's so lively, how could we be pitiful?"

Lin Daiyu gave a cold laugh twice, then turned and left.

Jia Baoyu sighed, "I don't know what's wrong with my sister, her temper is getting more and more eccentric. She was upset in the palace... Luckily she took it out on me, otherwise others would say she's petty."

Lin Daiyu said she was tired, but that was just an excuse. Her real intention was to go back and change her clothes so she could use the new velvet flowers that the Empress had given her.

Anyway, Third Brother said that one should not wear fine clothes in the dark.

However, Lin Daiyu felt that she could not be as open and honest as her third brother, so she went through the proper procedure and went to bed for a while.

Once she felt she had rested enough, she got up again, her voice tinged with a hint of excitement: "Oh dear, my hair is messy, let me comb it again."

After dressing up, Lin Daiyu went to her maternal grandmother's large flower hall, where everyone was still present.

Grandmother Jia looked her up and down, then her gaze lingered: "This outfit is beautiful... Is that hairpin you got today?"

Lin Daiyu sat down next to Grandmother Jia and pointed to the hair ornaments on her head, saying, "These three pearl lotus ornaments were a gift from the Earl of Zhongyong, and this velvet flower was a gift from Her Majesty the Empress."

"As expected of the craftsmanship from the palace, it's truly exquisite." Aunt Xue said with a smile, "Is it osmanthus? Such small flowers, yet they are made so lifelike. I don't know how they have such long hands."

Lady Wang then used the excuse of concern to say, "Take good care of yourself and don't waste the good things Her Majesty gave you."

Lin Daiyu chuckled, "This thing will fade after a year or two, so it's better to wear it every day to avoid disappointing Your Majesty's kindness."

Upon hearing this, Lin Daiyu suddenly realized that she had stopped arguing with Xue Baochai or Shi Xiangyun.

Is this what Third Brother meant by the opponent rising to a higher level?

Her smiling face annoyed Madam Wang: "Let's have some plays, one for each of us."

Just as the people here were exchanging scripts, the old woman from the second gate came in again.

"Madam, a Lord Ran has sent a servant to deliver something to Miss Lin."

This time, Lin Daiyu was not as nervous as she used to be when her third brother came. She smiled and said, "A couple of days ago, I went out with the Earl of Zhongyong and met someone who was my father's former colleague. We used to see each other often at home."

Before her grandmother could give any instructions, she said, "Shall I meet her outside?"

Grandmother Jia nodded and said, "Since they've come to see you, you can entertain them yourself." After Lin Daiyu got up, Grandmother Jia took the opportunity to teach the girls in the room, "You're all getting older, you should learn some manners and etiquette."

Tan Chun's heart stirred for a moment, but quickly calmed down.

In the past, when the Madam represented the Rongguo Mansion in social circles, she never took them along. The only places they were allowed to visit were the Ningguo Mansion and the Wang family; they never even visited the Shi family.

Now that the master has been dismissed from his post, the mistress doesn't even leave the house anymore.

In terms of interpersonal skills, they also need to be able to go out and interact with people.

Thinking of this, Tan Chun looked at Ying Chun and Xi Chun sitting next to her, the First Madam... and the neighbor, Madam You?

It's better not to go out at all.

What about Sister Feng? Can I go out with her?

Or, Sister Lin, could you take them with you next time you go out?

Lin Daiyu returned quickly, and Tan Chun asked with a smile, "The God of Longevity is back! Did you get anything good?"

Lin Daiyu didn't hide anything: "I've already had someone send Deng Dechun's snacks, a few kites, and a guqin back to Xiaoxiang Pavilion."

“It’s definitely time to fly kites,” Yingchun agreed.

Shi Xiangyun looked distressed: "I'm afraid I won't be able to fly a kite this year."

Xue Baochai subtly gave Aunt Xue a wink, and Aunt Xue smiled and said, "Speaking of the guqin, I remember that the empress in the palace is the most skilled at playing the guqin. Doesn't she have a maid named Baoqin?"

"It's kind of you to remember, and you even came to the palace with me," Lady Wang exclaimed.

Xue Baochai felt relieved; the way to conduct oneself in the world is accumulated through these everyday little things.

After chatting for a while, everyone focused on the opera again. But after only two acts, the old woman from the second gate came again: "A Hanlin Academy official named Lord Bao has sent someone to deliver something to Miss Lin."

Lin Daiyu then got up again: "Grandmother, I'll go take a look."

Grandmother Jia's smile was almost gone. What exactly had the Marquis of Zhongyong taken her to do? Why were all these families coming to her door?

Back then—back then, Yu'er was often sick, which is why she didn't let her see outsiders; she did it for her own good.

Thinking about it this way, a smile returned to Grandmother Jia's face, but she couldn't help feeling guilty, so she explained, "Your Uncle Lin used to be an official and had many colleagues, but I don't know why he only came here recently. I guess he was transferred to another post and then returned to the capital."

Inside the house, only Madam Wang probably understood what was going on. Even if Wang Xifeng didn't understand at first, she would understand once Jia Lian returned from Suzhou and started spending money extravagantly.

Madam Wang laughed and said, "That's how it is when you're an official. Didn't you just return from your post in a remote area, sir?"

Wang Xifeng glanced at her cryptically. This aunt of hers was truly something else; the Second Master had been dismissed from his post!

Sure enough, the room fell silent.

When the second wife was unhappy, Madam Xing was happy: "Indeed, the officialdom is ruthless."

When Lin Daiyu returned, she sensed that something was off in the room, so she asked with a smile, "What's wrong? Is the opera not good?"

Wang Xifeng pulled her down to sit again and asked, "What did you get this time? You just said this official is from the Hanlin Academy, so perhaps we should send him something different?"

Lin Daiyu then said, "A travelogue by a leisurely traveler."

"Oh dear, I don't understand this. Is there anything else?"

"There's also a set of strange tales, which should be ghost stories or folk legends."

"Sister, you still dare to watch this?" Jia Baoyu laughed. "Why don't we watch it together? If you're scared, I'll be there with you."

Wang Xifeng patted Jia Baoyu with a smile. Second Master Lian always called him "Phoenix Egg," but now she felt that "Phoenix" was wrong, and "Egg" was right.

He truly knew nothing.

I wonder what kind of trouble he'll cause once he understands.

Who cares? She and Master Lian are both juniors. We can't expect them to contribute both money and effort, can we?

Thinking of this, Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "He truly deserves to be called a great scholar."

Lin Daiyu then glanced at Xue Baochai and said with a smile, "There is also a newly revised version of the 'Shuowen Jiezi'. Last time you taught me that it is unnecessary for women to even know how to read."

Xue Baochai said politely, "Since it was given by a great scholar from the Hanlin Academy, you should take a good look at it."

Yingchun suddenly added, "Will you still participate in the poetry club next time?"

Xue Baochai suddenly felt like she was being roasted over a fire. She then smiled and said, "Sister Yun will be going home soon. Why don't we wait for her to come before we talk about it?"

Shi Xiangyun had a look on her face that said, "I knew Sister Bao was the best to me."

The performance lasted until nightfall, and after a slightly smaller dinner than lunch, everyone dispersed.

Lin Daiyu then suggested to Grandmother Jia, "We've been listening to this for two days now, and it's uncomfortable to sit all day. Why don't we sing for an afternoon tomorrow and get some rest in the morning?"

Grandmother Jia breathed a sigh of relief. She had wanted to rest, but she was afraid that Yu'er would think she was a spoilsport and didn't care about her enough.

"Okay, then let's come back closer to noon."

Xue Baochai then suggested, "Although we are tired, what about the old women and maids? They also want to have some fun. Why don't we start the opera performance in the morning, and let whoever wants to come watch?"

"Ahem." The maidservant serving in Grandmother Jia's room laughed, "Actually, we also want to rest. Besides, the young lady lives far away and can't hear it. If the singing starts in the flower hall, it won't disturb the old lady, and even the second mistress won't be able to rest."

Several maids chimed in, and even Yuanyang nodded: "Although it cost money for three days, it was really too awful to have that opera troupe perform for three whole days."

Xue Baochai's smile froze, and she fell silent.

The group returned in twos and threes. Upon reaching the first intersection in the Grand View Garden, Lin Daiyu said to the three sisters, "You all go back first, I'll go and offer incense to Father and Mother."

Today is her birthday, which is normal, so everyone dispersed.

Tan Chun was still thinking about the scene where Xue Baochai had been humiliated.

Back when she was in charge of the household, she wanted to contract out the Grand View Garden, but Xue Baochai gave her a favor in the end, and at that time everyone, from the old women to the maids, was grateful to her.

Now she gives gifts as usual, but no one speaks well of her; in fact, everyone refuses to give them. Why is that?

Is it because she doesn't manage things well?

Tan Chun gently shook her head because she had no power and her words were useless.

Sister Lin is powerful, and those words were spoken by Sister Lin. They don't want to offend Sister Lin at all.

Looking at herself, even when she was in charge of the small kitchen, she was quite serious and dedicated, but she always felt that Aunt Liu and the others were just playing with her.

Where does Sister Lin's power come from, and where can she borrow it from?

...Your wife can't possibly really like you...

Tan Chun suddenly remembered Aunt Zhao's words, and she was startled.

That's right. Sister Feng is just a gofer; the real housekeeper is the mistress. If the mistress really likes her and values ​​her, how could her words not carry weight?

Why does she have a nickname that sounds like "rose"?

In an instant, Tan Chun broke out in layers of cold sweat.

The lady disliked her, so Tan Chun silently returned to Qiushuangzhai.

After offering incense, Lin Daiyu returned to Xiaoxiang Pavilion, where it was already getting dark.

"Light the candles," Lin Daiyu ordered enthusiastically. "Clean up what you got today. Clear out the middle shelf of the display cabinet so I can put my guqin there. The bookshelves are full too; let me see which books to put in the boxes. The kite... hang it up. Go find two nails. And there are still some snacks; send some to each room tomorrow."

After she finished giving her instructions, the maids and servants in the room busied themselves. Zijuan brought her a chair and said with a smile, "Please sit down, Miss."

"You are quite observant," Lin Daiyu praised.

Zijuan then advised, "Miss, you're tired today. Why don't you pack it up tomorrow? Otherwise you might overwork yourself and get sick, which would worry the old lady and Master Bao."

Lin Daiyu was not happy to hear this. She had been with her third brother for a long time and had learned to be "self-reliant". Moreover, it was her maternal grandmother and Jia Baoyu who were putting her in a difficult position, which made her even more uncomfortable.

"Whether I'm tired or not is my business, not yours," Lin Daiyu said. "If you're tired, go and rest."

Xueyan came over carrying a stack of books and said upon hearing this, "Miss, you don't get sick so easily. You've always been the most attentive. Since the Marquis of Zhongyong returned last year, when has Miss ever been sick? Why are you still using the old almanac to judge people?"

Zijuan was taken aback, and Lin Daiyu glared at Xueyan: "Where did you get so many questions from?"

Upon hearing the girl's words, Zijuan suddenly remembered that Xueyan hadn't called her "Sister Zijuan" in a long time, and she wasn't as well-behaved as before. Perhaps Xueyan had become too carefree?

Zijuan then made another note of Zhongyongbo's name.

Lin Daiyu's face turned cold, and the maids and servants below her became even more diligent in their work. Besides, there were only a few things, and the most time-consuming thing was figuring out where to put them.

Lin Daiyu then thought of the large study in her third brother's house where he taught her to practice calligraphy. It was just a side room; she wondered how the main study in the courtyard was arranged and how much stuff it could hold.

After packing her things, Lin Daiyu noticed that it was almost time for her usual rest, so she instructed her maid to fetch hot water for washing up.

The maid was removing the hairpins from Lin Daiyu's hair one by one when Zijuan came in and gave the maid a wink. The maid put down what she was doing and went out. Zijuan stood behind Lin Daiyu and slowly combed her hair.

"Miss, your hair seems a bit thicker?" Zijuan said with a careful smile. "There are also more stray hairs in the front than before. Should we ask the nanny to trim it, or should we apply some hair oil and comb it back up first?"

"Why bother with it? Let's keep it. What if it grows?" Lin Daiyu looked around. "I don't have much hair, so it's hard to put a hairpin on it."

“We can also hide them inside with some wigs,” Zijuan said with a smile. “I’ll ask Granny about it later.”

"No need," Lin Daiyu refused firmly. "I'm not used to things that aren't mine."

Zijuan then fell silent and began combing Lin Daiyu's hair.

Lin Daiyu didn't say anything. She knew that Zijuan must have something to say to the maid when she called the little girl out, but Zijuan only cared about three things. Not to mention now, even in the past, she didn't want to hear about any of them.

"Miss," Zijuan suddenly spoke up. Lin Daiyu yawned, "I'm sleepy. Who's on night watch tonight? You should go and rest too."

“Miss, you shouldn’t have spoken to Master Bao like that today. He was just concerned about you. You just returned from the palace and were neglected. Master Bao was trying to comfort you. Why did you have to give him such a hard time?”

"Whose maid are you anyway?" Lin Daiyu stood up coldly. "Qingwen is here, and my second aunt complained that there was another person in my room. It's good that you go to Yihong Courtyard to serve her. It will please you."

Zijuan knelt down with a thud, hugged Lin Daiyu's legs, and tears streamed down her face. She sobbed, "Miss, the Marquis of Zhongyong is really no good person. Take that Granny Shen, for example. She disguised herself as Granny Liu and pretended to be a member of the Lin family to fool us. How could a good family do such a thing?"

Lin Daiyu tried to pull her leg out, but couldn't. She struggled a couple of times but still couldn't break free. Besides, although her health had improved a lot compared to before, she was still a delicate young lady and couldn't compete with the maid in terms of strength.

Besides, if things really escalate, she wouldn't care, but Zijuan would definitely be in trouble.

"Let go of me! Is this how a good maid should treat me?!"

"Miss!" Zijuan's tears rolled down her cheeks. "Miss, I'll be presumptuous this time. Please listen to what I have to say."

Lin Daiyu didn't speak, but she also stopped pulling her leg away.

Zijuan released one hand and wiped away her tears.

“Since you came to me, I have been serving you. You have treated me well, even better than Xueyan, whom I brought from home.”

"You don't need to think there's anything wrong with this," Lin Daiyu said coldly. "You are the maid my maternal grandmother gave me. For my grandmother's sake, I will treat you well. Besides, you are a servant born into the Rongguo Mansion. You know all the rules and regulations, you are skilled in handling affairs, and you are diligent. I'm not crazy, why would I distance myself from you?"

“I knew you were kind and gentle, young lady.” Ziju gave a bleak smile. “But the Marquis of Zhongyong is no good man. You should be on your guard. If it weren’t for the Marquis of Zhongyong’s instructions, how could Mama Shen have brought shame upon our Rongguo Mansion?”

“If you don’t like it, go find your maternal grandmother, go find Aunt Shen, why are you coming to me? I’m not the one lying, and I’m not the one who’s shameless.”

“Miss,” Zijuan called again, then hesitated, “I meant to say that you should not get close to Marquis Zhongyong in the future. He… he is really not a good person. He came here to take revenge on our Rongguo Mansion.”

"Are you confused?" Lin Daiyu gradually lost her patience and spoke more and more directly. "You are a maid of the Rongguo Mansion, your surname is Jia, and I am a member of the Lin family. We are not family at all. What does his reporting to the Rongguo Mansion have to do with my Lin family? What does it have to do with me?"

"Miss!" Zijuan released her grip in shock, looking at Lin Daiyu in disbelief. "Grandma has always treated you like her own granddaughter, even better than her own. And Master Bao, Master Bao has feelings for you."