Chapter 86 Continuing the Tour of Xiyuan: "I'll Take Care of Everything."
Lin Daiyu followed the two Song girls westward along the riverbank.
There were also many palace maids and eunuchs standing on the riverbank, all looking wary as they approached.
“We won’t jump into the river,” Song Qingfu said with a smile.
The palace maid looked slightly embarrassed and bowed, saying, "You flatter me, young lady."
Lin Daiyu then asked, "So someone jumped into the river?"
“They said he fell in by accident,” Song Qingfu said softly. “Who would believe that? But that was many years ago. Back then, not only me, but even my aunt hadn’t entered the palace yet. I don’t know what happened.”
Just now, when she was measuring her wedding dress, she was in a state of great turmoil and couldn't think of anything else. But now that she's away from her third brother for a while, Lin Daiyu is back to being a thoughtful and considerate girl.
"We've been here for quite some time now. Just now, the Emperor Emeritus instructed that the two young ladies know which palace the Empress is in. I should go and pay my respects."
Song Qingfu smiled and said, "I'm taking you to see your aunt. Do you see that Ziting Pavilion up ahead? Your aunt is inside."
Lin Daiyu breathed a sigh of relief, feeling even more that the two Miss Songs were truly kind people, especially compared to the way her second aunt had openly and subtly intimidated her on her first day at the Rongguo Mansion. These were relatives, after all.
As she was thinking about it, she felt something was off. Why didn't the two of them say so earlier?
"Sister." Song Qinglian smiled and extended her hand. Lin Daiyu saw Song Qingfu take off a string of dazzling diamond beads from her hand, pouting as she handed the beads to her younger sister.
Song Qinglian also has a string of them, and now she wears both on her wrists. They are so shiny that they dazzle the eyes.
Song Qinglian shook her wrist, extremely satisfied. She then curtsied to Lin Daiyu, saying, "Thank you."
What's there to not understand?
"Fine, you're betting on me!" Lin Daiyu lunged forward, but Song Qinglian dodged. "Why don't you chase after her?"
"She's already lost, why should I pursue her?"
Song Qingfu also came over and blocked her sister's way: "That's right, let's both work together to trick her big time!"
Surrounded by the two, Song Qinglian pleaded, "Good Daiyu, you should help me. I guessed you would realize it on your own before you were halfway there. I guessed you would realize it before entering the palace. Shouldn't you help me?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Daiyu stopped standing still. Song Qinglian proudly raised her chin at her sister, but her sister straightened her body.
The Emperor Emeritus's pleasure boat has arrived.
Of course, the retired emperor was sitting in a chair surrounded by people, and he couldn't even see his dragon robe. But the loyal and brave Earl standing at the bow of the boat was particularly conspicuous.
Once the cruise ship had passed a little further, Song Qingfu waved her hand in front of Lin Daiyu and giggled ambiguously, saying, "Indeed, I was looking at the Marquis of Zhongyong."
Lin Daiyu's face flushed, and her eyes darted around as she said, "Why can't I look? He's so tall, who wouldn't see him at first glance?"
Song Qingfu laughed even louder: "Who called me Third Uncle back then?"
Lin Daiyu blushed and didn't even dare to lift her head.
Song Qinglian also laughed and said, "Anyway, it wasn't me."
"I'm going to pay my respects to Her Majesty the Empress." Lin Daiyu lowered her head and started walking forward, but was stopped by someone.
"This way," Song Qingfu said.
Song Qinglian continued, "Actually, that's not wrong. She went to the Zhongyong Earl's place."
When they arrived at Ziting Pavilion, the Empress saw Lin Daiyu, who had turned a shrimp-red color. She exclaimed and hurriedly said, "Don't bother with the formalities! Could it be that she has contracted tinea versicolor? Quickly, bring some saltpeter."
Song Qingfu laughed and said, "It's not a skin disease. I just met the Marquis of Zhongyong. He was rowing the boat for the Emperor Emeritus. He was standing at the bow of the boat and was taller than everyone else. I think he was almost a deck above the boat."
The Empress laughed as well. Lin Daiyu's heart pounded. She was shy, but she also liked it very much and had no intention of running away.
Although comparing her to Jia Baoyu at this moment might be a bit out of place and seem somewhat insulting to her third brother, she has her third brother to rely on. She can push everything onto him and doesn't have to worry about anything.
"This is Miss Lin, the daughter of the third-ranked scholar," the Empress said with a smile. "It's no use if you like her; she's already betrothed to the Earl of Zhongyong, and he himself came to ask for her."
As she spoke, the Empress beckoned to Lin Daiyu, "Come sit here."
Today is an event for nobles, and the ladies present all smiled, knowing exactly where to offer their compliments.
"Your Majesty has made a good match."
"Loyal and Brave Earl is very fortunate."
After listening for a few minutes, the Empress smiled and said, "Don't let her outstanding appearance fool you, her literary talent is also first-rate. I asked her to teach Luojia and Xining to write, and His Majesty even said he would make a calligraphy model for her."
The compliments grew increasingly enthusiastic.
Lin Daiyu felt her heart pounding so hard she could hear it in her ears. She smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I don't deserve such praise. It's the result of my hard work and diligent study."
"Why be modest?" The Empress had just received the Emperor's order to bring forward the betrothal ceremony. Did she even need to ask what that meant?
So the Empress continued to praise, "You haven't seen her write poetry." The Empress winked at Lin Daiyu, "It's that poem, 'Why Bother with Farming and Weaving?' Write it out so everyone can see it, not just your handwriting, but also your poem."
The Empress also had female officials by her side, especially for banquets like this, where writing materials were prepared. The female official then invited Lin Daiyu to the desk, and Lin Daiyu finished writing in one go. Only after the Xuan paper was presented did she realize something was wrong.
This poem was originally attributed to Jia Baoyu; even the Imperial Concubine probably didn't know it.
...It was still my third brother who did it; he did so many things behind my back.
Lin Daiyu subconsciously looked at the Empress again, and the Empress winked at her.
"No one in Beijing can write her regular script better than her."
The Empress nodded in agreement, saying, "His Majesty said the same thing, adding that her calligraphy has the style of Wang Xizhi and Zhong Yao. However, if you want to invite her back to teach calligraphy, you'll have to wait. She has not only taught Xining and Luojia, but the Earl of Zhongyong is also learning calligraphy under her tutelage now."
The smiles of these ladies suddenly became ambiguous again.
However, since it was a court banquet, Lin Daiyu only played the role of the main character for a short time. When the topic shifted to other people, Lin Daiyu was much more at ease and started chatting and laughing with the Song sisters again.
She had only exchanged a few words when another noblewoman approached and smiled warmly at her: "I am the Princess Dowager of Nan'an."
Lin Daiyu curtsied and said with a smile, "Please sit down, Your Highness."
The Princess Dowager of Nan'an smiled kindly: "I just came to visit. I also have two daughters at home who are about your age, but they caught a cold these past few days and can't go out. I'll invite you to come and visit them when they're better."
Lin Daiyu knew about the Princess of Nan'an. Shi Xiangyun often talked about her, and her maternal grandmother also said that the Rongguo Mansion and the Prince of Nan'an's family had always been in contact, but she had never met them.
Lin Daiyu quickly considered the options and made her choice. She lowered her head shyly and said, "I'm preparing for my wedding soon, so it might not be convenient."
Princess Nan'an still had a smile on her face: "I forgot about that. Please add some dowry for me later."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Lin Daiyu curtsied again.
After the Princess Consort of Nan'an left, Song Qingfu gave Lin Daiyu a thumbs up: "My aunt really doesn't allow us to associate with her family."
Song Qinglian also said, "The Prince of Nan'an used to hold military power, but later... he became a playboy, you know. I guess it might be because of your third uncle."
"Okay, I'm listening carefully to what you have to say."
The Empress glanced at them and laughed, "Only a few of them are loud."
“Young girls are like that,” the noblewoman accompanying the Empress said with a kind smile.
With the banquet approaching, young ladies always tidied their clothes a bit. Lin Daiyu followed the Song sisters into the side hall of Ziting Pavilion. She moved quickly, tidied herself up first, and then came out to wait.
Before long, the Empress came out from the back hall. Lin Daiyu stepped forward to pay her respects and explained, "Your Majesty, I actually wrote that poem on my own initiative for Jia Baoyu."
The Empress hadn't expected her to say that, and immediately replied, "I understand."
Lin Daiyu didn't believe her at all, so she said, "That day when the Imperial Concubine visited her family, she only asked us girls to each write a poem. I was unwilling to accept that, so I wrote one for her as well."
The Queen looked at her with pity and even took her arm, saying, "Child, you have suffered."
Now Lin Daiyu was completely at a loss for words. If she said anything more, she might offend Jia Baoyu, but she had indeed suffered a lot.
But this was definitely not his responsibility.
...It was something that should have been his responsibility to take the lead, but he ran away, and now he's the one who's been blamed for everything.
"We're going to miss out on this spring scenery again." Jia Baoyu sighed as he looked at the Podocarpus macrophyllus outside the window.
The master went to eat, but he's still here catching up on his studies.
Jia Baoyu was never one to enjoy doing his homework, and now that no one was watching him, he couldn't help but think of the falling petals in the Grand View Garden, as well as Qiuwen, Fangguan, Qingwen... and the heartless Lin Daiyu.
Jia Baoyu sighed again. He recalled many years ago when Lin Daiyu buried the flowers and they watched "The Story of Yingying" together.
"The Marquis of Zhongyong is no good person!"
Jia Baoyu didn't dare to speak too loudly, for fear of being overheard.
After he returned, he took the opportunity to read books and thought about it carefully. The maids in the front yard were so eager to curry favor with the Earl of Zhongyong that they had to kneel on the ground to serve him, but they were completely indifferent to him. They were all very sycophantic and forgot whose servants they were.
Jia Baoyu bit his pen, not daring to let his mind wander any longer, lest he fail to finish his homework and be scolded by his master when he returned.
"...They didn't even call me for lunch." Jia Baoyu felt extremely wronged.
At this moment, it wasn't just Jia Baoyu who felt wronged; Xiren also felt wronged. She went to see Qingwen, but Qingwen didn't give her a kind look at all. None of Lin's maids tried to smooth things over, leaving her feeling embarrassed.
“I came to see you out of kindness, how could you say such a thing to me?” Xiren retorted.
Qingwen wasn't angry, but she wasn't going to say anything nice either: "Why are you looking at me like that? We're not 'us' to each other. You don't serve Master Bao properly, and you even chose to come see me when Miss Lin wasn't here. I heard that I only brought you and Mushe. How can we take turns? Don't tire Mushe out."
Xi Ren blushed, then put on that "I'm old, I understand" expression: "I thought we grew up together, and since Miss Lin isn't here today, I figured you must be free, so I came to talk to you, but you misunderstand me like this."
Unfortunately, this grievance was only seen by a blind man. Xiren came to Lin Daiyu's room to pull Jia Baoyu for years, but she never saw Miss Lin. Not to mention bowing, sometimes she didn't even greet her.
Which of the maids and servants in this house would give her a kind look?
An old woman laughed and said, "You'd better go back and see Master Bao as soon as possible. Master Bao can't be left alone. Don't let the higher-ups blame us and implicate us."
Xiren originally wanted to test Miss Lin's marriage prospects, and also to see if Qingwen still had feelings for Master Bao. She also wanted to persuade her to be a loyal servant, since she had served Master Bao, then she could only have Master Bao in her heart.
Before she could even get a word in edgewise, she was already being pressured into staying.
Xiren sighed, "Since you are serving Miss Lin, you can't be as pampered as you were in Master Bao's room. Miss Lin isn't as disrespectful as Master Bao. You should be more composed."
Qingwen took the sewing basket and went inside.
Xiren couldn't continue, so she mumbled a few more words: "It's been windy these past few days, don't let Miss Lin catch a chill." Then she left.
However, she didn't return to the front courtyard so quickly. Instead, Xiren turned and headed towards Yihong Courtyard.
Although Jia Baoyu moved out, the Yihong Courtyard was still reserved for him, with nearly twenty maids still living there.
When they saw Xiren arrive, everyone hurriedly got up and called out, "Sister Xiren."
After looking around, Xiren gave instructions not to slack off, and finally regained some of her confidence as a head maid. However, the anger she had suffered was not so easy to dissipate.
Xiren pulled Zijuan into the inner room to talk: "How have you been these past few days? If there's anything you need, just let me know."
Zijuan fell silent for a while, then shook her head and said, "There's nothing missing, everything is fine."
"Sigh." Xiren sighed. With Miss Lin protecting her, Qingwen had indeed become arrogant, even more so than when she was in the Grand View Garden. She needed to think of a solution.
She took Zijuan's hand: "I reckon you'll be going back to Miss Lin's room soon—"
Zijuan's eyes lit up.
Xiren smiled and said, "This is my own idea. You can just listen to it. I don't know if it will work out. After all, I'm just a maid."
Zijuan nodded, her eyes reddening, "Teach me how to serve my master well."
"I'm thinking... you're the most loyal person in Miss Lin's room."
As Xiren spoke, Zijuan nodded so vigorously that even the hairpin in her hair began to sway.
"Although Xueyan was brought from the Lin family by Miss Lin, the Lin family is all dead, and Xueyan's family is also missing. I think she must resent Miss Lin for not bringing her family along."
Zijuan nodded repeatedly: "She never served the young lady well to begin with. When the young lady was cold, she didn't know to light the heater; when the young lady was thirsty, she didn't know to bring water; when the young lady sat by the window, she didn't know to close the window. She didn't even ask the young lady what she wanted, she never said a word."
Xiren thought about what she had heard these past few days and said, "She's become more talkative and arrogant now, mostly because you've left and she's the head maid. Sigh... As long as she serves Miss Lin well and doesn't offend anyone by using Miss Lin's name, that's fine."
Zijuan looked worried, but Xiren smiled and said, "Miss Lin is a clever and quick-witted person. How could she not see it? I think she regrets it very much. Even if she didn't notice for a moment, she would understand if someone reminded her. You can go back in a few days."
Zijuan smiled, wiped away her tears, and Xiren advised her again: "Don't be sad, or the maids will break down from crying. How will they serve Miss Lin then? She loves to cry, are you going to cry with her? You have to be happy."
Zijuan stood up and bowed to Xiren: "Thank you for teaching me, Sister Xiren."
"You should rest well. I'll come to see you in Miss Lin's room in a couple of days." Xiren then took out a small jar of hand cream. "This is what Master Bao asked me to give you. You are a delicate maid serving in the room, so don't ruin your hands."
Zijuan's eyes reddened, but before the tears could fall, she said, "I won't cry. Sister Xiren, please thank Master Bao for me."
Xiren offered a few more words of comfort before leaving.
When she arrived at the front yard, she learned that the master had not yet arrived, so she took some tea and snacks to serve the second master.
Before she could speak, Jia Baoyu asked, "How is Zijuan? Did you give her the things? Tell her not to worry, that I'll take care of everything."
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