Chapter 103 Dragon Boat Race (Part 1) "I wasted seven years in this..."
The sacrificial ceremony began quickly, and Lin Daiyu followed along to light an incense stick. Then, a palace maid gently stroked her entire body with mugwort, and each person received a small zongzi (sticky rice dumpling).
It's bite-sized, and it even contains a few red beans.
Lin Daiyu didn't like this food. She remembered what Mu Chuan had said: "A person's appetite is only so big. If you eat something you don't like, what about the food you do like? How can you be in a good mood?"
But the things given as gifts from the palace were so small, so it was fine to eat them. Lin Daiyu bit quite hard, and then thought: When I go back in the afternoon, I want to go to the Wuyue Guild Hall with my third brother to eat meat dumplings. She also wants to go to the Dianchi Guild Hall to see if they have Yunnan ham dumplings.
Although the Jia family was declining and might collapse with the next wave, everyone was trying their best to maintain appearances before anything happened, especially during the Dragon Boat Festival, one of the four major festivals.
A lot of mugwort was prepared, and there were both sweet and savory zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), as well as silver ingots to mark the occasion. Although some servants had already been sold, and Mu Chuan had even helped them deal with the two most greedy families, the Rongguo Mansion had to maintain appearances, so the managers were paid ten taels each, and Grandmother Jia's family needed twenty taels each. All in all, another five thousand taels had been spent.
Grandmother Jia even took a boat trip around the Grand View Garden.
"Although we can't race dragon boats, paddling around in the water is still quite festive," Grandmother Jia said with a smile. "The most hateful one is Yu'er, who abandoned us during the festival to go have fun in the palace."
As Madam Wang accompanied her, the deep lines on her brows deepened due to recent internal and external troubles. Hearing Grandmother Jia's words, she smiled and said, "Grandmother, please don't be angry. Serving the master in the palace is glorious, but it is also the most tiring thing. Lin'er is going to fulfill her filial duty in your place."
The people on the boat all laughed; everything sounded the same as before.
But that's the most wrong thing. How can it be the same as before?
Wang Xifeng sat in the corner, partly because Grandmother Jia treated her coldly and there was no place for her next to her, and partly because Wang Xifeng did not want to move forward. She held her forehead and pretended to have a headache, taking the opportunity to get away from those people.
She's a straightforward person, and she doesn't want to put on such a show of peace and prosperity.
Tan Chun supported Grandmother Jia's arm. Lin Daiyu was not present. The old lady had never liked the Xue family. Ying Chun remained silent, and Xi Chun hid away. She was already the most favored among her granddaughters.
Tan Chun laughed and said, "Speaking of Sister Lin, she is the most generous one. I went to see her the other day, and when she heard that Second Sister was getting married, she sent her a lot of things, including two boxes of silver ingots."
If even she's like this, what about you?
She knew that neither Miss Xue nor her wife liked Lin Daiyu, and the old lady's attitude was also quite subtle.
In order to outdo Lin Daiyu, they would also contribute more money.
Wang Xifeng couldn't stand stupid people, so she turned her head away, unable to bear looking at them any longer.
What is this? This is public coercion.
He really was raised by his wife; he has her style. No matter what, he has to say it openly and make a big fuss about it.
The old lady was very concerned about face, and that was all she cared about.
If she loses face, she will definitely make others lose face as well.
Sure enough, Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "Speaking of which, Yingchun will be getting married in less than ten days. After she gets married, she should be a good wife and mother to her husband."
Yingchun's face showed no smile as she replied softly, "Yes."
This reaction displeased Grandmother Jia, who looked around and said, "Have you all added to your dowry? What about Feng Jie? You are the sister-in-law, and if you don't add enough, I won't accept it."
What else could she do if she refused?
Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "It has already been added, but as a junior, I shouldn't go over the heads of the two ladies."
Grandmother Jia knew better than to ask any more questions. What if Madam Xing, being so stubborn, asked her how much she had added?
After completing the round, Grandmother Jia said, "You all go and tidy up. I'll rest too. We'll have lunch in the Grand View Garden later, enjoying the scenery of the lake and mountains."
Everyone went back to change their clothes. Tan Chun walked with Jia Baoyu and said, "Grandmother is happy, but why are you so listless and not saying a word?"
Jia Baoyu sighed and said, "I'm not feeling quite right yet."
Thinking about where he had hit, Tan Chun didn't dare to ask any further. She changed the subject: "Second sister is getting married, and only you can go out. What have you prepared for her?"
Jia Baoyu looked distressed again: "Originally, Xiren was in charge of the money in my room, but she... got into trouble and was kicked out by Madam. Now Madam is in charge of it herself, and I don't know how to ask for it back."
Tan Chun felt a stiffness in her neck and gave a perfunctory reply: "Take good care of yourself and don't eat anything that might aggravate your condition." Then she returned to Qiu Shuang Zhai.
Jia Baoyu had finally managed to enter the Grand View Garden, but everything seemed different. He stood blankly at the crossroads, with Xiaoxiang Pavilion to the south and Zilingzhou to the north. He sighed deeply, feeling that the world was so vast that there was nowhere for him to belong, and for a moment he didn't know where to go.
Aunt Xue and Xue Baochai walked hand in hand towards Hengwu Garden.
The maid went to pour tea, while Ying'er stood guard in the outer room. Aunt Xue scolded, "Baoyu has been ill these past few days, and you haven't even asked about him. Putting everything else aside, he's your cousin, how can you be so cold to him?"
Xue Baochai's expression was somewhat unnatural. She explained, "He lives in the outer courtyard. How can I go out? My uncle is right next door. What if he sees me?"
Aunt Xue sighed. She could probably guess what her daughter was thinking, but how could she let her guard down at this crucial moment?
"This medicine isn't for him, it's for the old lady and the others. Last time he was beaten, you carried these pills all over the Grand View Garden, wasn't it for this? It's the same this time, his marriage isn't up to him again—"
Xue Baochai had already begun to silently shed tears.
Aunt Xue hugged her daughter tightly: "I know you've been wronged."
Xue Baochai didn't dare to cry loudly. She buried her face in Aunt Xue's shoulder, gritted her teeth, and uttered the words through clenched teeth.
"How could I have wasted so many years on something like this?"
"He used to be a member of the Rongguo Mansion, but now that the Ning Mansion is gone, the Rongguo Mansion will probably be gone too once the old lady dies."
“My uncle was originally a fifth-rank official in the imperial court. Although there was no hope of promotion, it was a stable position. It was an official post bestowed by the retired emperor, so His Majesty had to give him face. But now he has nothing.”
"His sister was originally a lady-in-waiting, and later she was made a Noble Consort. But what about now? Forget about having imperial heirs, how long has she been confined to her quarters? How long can she remain a Noble Consort?"
"He used to be the old lady's favorite grandson, but now? It looks like all of the old lady's things are about to be taken away by that girl Lin. What will he have left then?"
Xue Baochai wiped away her tears and raised her head: "Originally, we thought that he was indifferent to worldly affairs and knew nothing about human relationships. His parents were also old. We thought that if we just endured a few years, we could live a good life and even benefit from the Rongguo Mansion's reputation. But now? Our family business is declining, and the Rongguo Mansion is in decline. I... we have lived in the Rongguo Mansion for seven years."
Aunt Xue looked even more bewildered than Xue Baochai: "But what else can we do? Go back to Jinling? Then the remaining family property will be seized by the clan, and that Feng family will come after us again."
The mother and daughter exchanged a glance, and Aunt Xue patted Xue Baochai: "I know you are sad, but the Jia family still has a noble title, so they are still better off than us."
“The title belongs to the eldest son’s family,” Xue Baochai blurted out.
The mother and daughter exchanged another glance, and Aunt Xue looked away: "Go wash your face, you still have to have dinner with the old lady later."
In Xiyuan, the dragon boat teams are ready.
With Mu Chuan involved in such an event, the retired emperor also came to watch with great interest.
He glanced around, and the most conspicuous was still Mu Chuan. The retired emperor turned to the emperor and said, "How come such a general is still only a minor official?"
The emperor rolled his eyes very subtly, wanting to ask the retired emperor: Do you still remember what you said back then?
However, the emperor restrained himself. Although the horoscope was chosen at Qiao Yue's proper age, it was initially a little secret known only to the two of them.
"Father, don't worry," the emperor said with a smile. "The initial title was a bit low, but the Great Wei Dynasty has no shortage of merits. We can continue to promote him."
Not only the emperor and the retired emperor were looking at Mu Chuan, but everyone else was also looking at Mu Chuan.
There's no way around it; he's tall and strong, naturally attracting everyone's attention.
General Qi Wenfeng of the central camp was whispering to his deputy, "Why did he go up himself?"
It's hard to say something like "young and strong," especially since our own general is already over forty.
The deputy general then said, "He's new here and doesn't have any connections. If he wants to make an appearance, he has to do it himself so that His Majesty will remember him."
"How does he expect His Majesty to remember him?" Qi Wenfeng said sourly. Although they were both guards of the capital, he was still the general of the largest central camp, but that didn't mean he wasn't envious.
The general from the neighboring southern camp was also chirping: "Others have their drummers and helmsmen at the head and tail, but he's in the middle of the boat."
The deputy general also comforted him, saying, "Lord Zhongyong can only stand in the middle, otherwise the boat will capsize."
The people of Dongying also manage a section of the canal, and they have no shortage of training opportunities. The general of Dongying confidently commented: "The boats of Beiying have a deeper draft than other boats. Zhongyongbo is worth two people."
He looked at his own boat again: "The stronger the boat, the bigger it is, but with more weight, it will naturally move slower. It's not worth it."
Neither the general nor the deputy general of the Western Camp spoke, but their thoughts were roughly the same: since the Earl of Loyalty and Courage hadn't come before, their Western Camp would have been the last to arrive. If they were still ranked last now, wouldn't the Earl of Loyalty and Courage have been serving as the general of the Northern Camp for nothing?
The five dragon boats quickly gathered at the starting point, and the helmsmen, drummers, and rowers on board all got into position.
Lin Daiyu only had eyes for her third brother.
Third Brother is the tallest, Third Brother is also the strongest... Third Brother seems to be glowing.
Lin Daiyu clutched her chest. Last time, when she heard her third brother playing the drum, her heart ached slightly. Why did her heart hurt before the drum had even started this time?
On the high platform, the emperor looked at the five dragon boats. Although the men on board were all fine men of his great Wei, he still hoped that Qiao Yue could win.
The emperor silently uttered, "Qiao Yue will surely win," and then struck the gong forcefully. With a clang, the dragon boats shot off from the starting line almost simultaneously.
This course starts from Nanhu Lake, circles the island in the center of the lake, and returns. The distance is neither too long nor too short. It is the kind of course that tests both explosive power and endurance.
Therefore, Mu Chuan's plan is to start steadily, build an advantage in the middle, and maintain the lead in the later stages. This is not difficult for him, because he, as the drummer, controls the rhythm.
The drumbeats rang out, and Mu Chuan exerted all his strength. Water splashed up, and his wet clothes clung to his body, making his bulging muscles clearly visible, each one seemingly embodying the word "strength."
"Chaos! Chaos!" General Qi of the central camp suddenly stood up. "The Marquis of Zhongyong is a heartless wretch! The drums are beating so loudly that they've disrupted the rhythm of everyone else!"
The adjutant didn't know how to advise them; there was no way to say it. Complaining that someone was beating the drum too loudly—anyone would think that was just picking a fight.
But it wasn't just that the drums were loud enough; the boats of the Northern Camp were also more orderly than those of the other four camps.
From the emperor's perspective, there were clearly only two rowers, not ten.
The emperor's lips curled up, and he laughed loudly as he said to the retired emperor, "I knew Qiao Yue would be number one!"
This time it was the Emperor Emeritus's turn to roll his eyes: "I didn't think the Marquis of Zhongyong could come in second place either."
Lin Daiyu didn't know when she stood up, nor what she had seen. By the time she came to her senses, the boat was almost at the island in the middle of the lake.
She was able to come to her senses because the boat was moving further away and the drumming subsided.
Lin Daiyu felt dizzy and mesmerized, as if even her legs were stiff. It was clearly a very lively scene, but the voices of the people around her were only now reaching her ears.
"Loyal and Brave Earl... Strong!"
"It's only halfway there, but it's already almost the distance of a single boat."
Then there's the smug Song Qingfu: "I told you to have the Marquis of Zhongyong beat the drum for the New Year's sacrifice, but you didn't believe me."
"Miss Lin, Miss Lin?"
Lin Daiyu turned her head sharply, and someone beside her reminded her, "The Empress is calling you."
She looked at the Empress again. The Empress seemed about to say something, but she smiled and said, "The wedding is coming soon. I'll ask His Majesty to grant the Earl of Zhongyong a month's leave so you can watch to your heart's content."
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The author's note: Yingchun's dowry in the original work is actually quite subtle.
Earlier, Wang Xifeng had calculated that when the girl got married, the old lady would give her a dowry of 10,000 taels of silver.
However, according to Sun Shaozu, Jia She owed him five thousand taels of silver afterward.
If Yingchun's dowry were generous, Sun Shaozu wouldn't specifically mention owing money; he might instead say he took the money but didn't do the job.
Therefore, it's possible that Grandmother Jia didn't contribute any money, and the entire Rongguo Mansion didn't really contribute much to Yingchun's dowry. That's why when Sun Shaozu was cursing, five thousand taels of silver was the first item on the list.
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