Chapter 76 Miss Lin's Wedding, Our Dowry "Miss Lin, Your Majesty..."
Even if Madam Wang didn't give him the silver notes, Xia Shouzhong would still have to go to Ningguo Mansion. This was a task assigned by his superiors, so how could he let an outsider do it for him?
Moreover, receiving the red envelope could not be considered a pleasant surprise, but rather something to be expected, since the Rongguo Mansion was generous, and almost everyone in the palace knew about it.
Xia Shouzhong nodded haughtily and said politely to Baoqin, "Please rest here for a while. I will send someone to fetch you when I return from Ningguo Mansion."
Baoqin was even more polite: "I'll wait for you at the gate."
Xia Shouzhong went to Ningguo Prefecture.
Wang Xifeng looked around and saw that although the people in the room had different expressions, none of them got up.
For example, Madam Xing simply wanted to watch the excitement.
Tan Chun, on the other hand, had a resolute expression, as if she were ready to sacrifice herself for the Jia family at any time.
Yingchun and Xichun both wanted to leave but didn't dare to, waiting for someone to take the lead.
Xue Baoqin's face was practically dripping with embarrassment, while her cousin's face remained as calm and composed as ever, with that same smile, like a mannequin.
As for Baoyu, although he didn't make any moves, his eyes kept darting around, looking at this person and then that person, as if he didn't understand the situation.
Wang Xifeng suddenly realized that there was another interpretation to the phoenix egg: it was still an egg, not yet born.
After waiting for a while, no one in the room moved. Her face darkened, and she first ordered Wang Xifeng, "Why haven't you sent your First Madam back yet?"
Well, the excitement is over. Wang Xifeng got up, wrapped her arm around Madam Xing's, and gently helped her up.
Madam Xing was still not happy: "Old Madam, how can we not know how the Empress is doing in the palace? We spent a lot of money for the Empress back then."
"Money, money! You can't stop talking about money. How did the eldest son end up marrying such a piece of trash! The Xing family are also from official families, yet you reek of money, you're not even as good as a merchant!"
These words made Aunt Xue's face change. Madam Xing originally thought she would just vent her anger by exchanging a few words, but she didn't expect Grandmother Jia to start scolding her directly. She turned her gaze away and muttered to herself.
"What else can I talk about if not money? How did the second wife move into the main hall? Or how did the empresses in the palace empty their family fortunes? When other families have daughters who enter the palace as empresses, their families are promoted, rich, and blessed. But our daughter—"
Madam Xing was also furious. Twenty thousand taels of goods, ten thousand taels of cash, and the goods had to be of the finest quality. Where did she get such fine quality goods?
And this daughter-in-law, no matter what we say, she refuses to give her anything.
Madam Xing pushed Wang Xifeng's arm away: "Stop pretending here, you're even helping the second branch of the family to smuggle their own property. I've already inquired, Her Majesty can't possibly spend that much money in the palace, you must be conspiring to deceive us! You say Her Majesty spent it, but you've all been hiding it!"
Even without others saying anything, Xue Baoqin was already sweating profusely. Her mental fortitude was far inferior to Xue Baochai's, and she dared not utter a sound. She simply lowered her head, pretending that no one had seen her and that no one had seen her. She moved to the corner of the wall and went out, hugging the wall.
When she arrived at the courtyard, she breathed a sigh of relief. She had just taken two deep breaths when she saw Sanchun come out as well.
The group exchanged awkward glances, each more embarrassed than the last, and without saying a word, they all went outside.
Grandmother Jia did not send Madam Xing away, but turned to look at Aunt Xue. If the three sisters and Xue Baoqin had not left, Xue Baochai felt that they could stay a little longer, but if they continued to stay now, it would not show her consideration.
Xue Baochai, supporting Aunt Xue's arm, smiled politely and said goodbye: "It's getting late, Grandma should rest early."
The two left as well, and then Grandmother Jia looked at Madam Xing again, but this time before she could speak, Madam Xing left on her own: "You want me to hear this? You never let me hear the good news, but you blame me for the bad. Do you think I'm stupid?"
Although Wang Xifeng felt that her mother-in-law was very rude in her words and actions, her words were rough but her reasoning was sound, so she hurriedly followed her out.
Returning the excessive family property and moving the phoenix eggs out of the Grand View Garden are neither easy tasks. Besides, didn't you hear what Eunuch Xia said? The Ning family is to be forced to move out. But most importantly, why would the Empress do this? This… I'm outta here.
Only Jia Baoyu remained in the room. Just as Grandmother Jia was about to speak, Jia Baoyu asked first, "Sister Baoqin, why did you ask me to move out?"
More than ten years have passed, and he hasn't changed at all.
Baoqin glanced at Grandmother Jia, who patiently said, "Yuanyang, take Baoyu back and tell them... to pack their things."
Jia Baoyu was still a little unhappy and followed Yuanyang away in a sullen mood.
Having wasted so much time, Madam Wang didn't have time for pleasantries and went straight to asking, "Has something happened to Yuan Chun in the palace? Or has someone sabotaged her?"
Baoqin said solemnly, "Madam, Her Majesty is doing well. His Majesty treats her the same as before, and so does the Empress."
“Your Majesty, yes, we should call you Your Majesty.” Madam Wang’s eyes were red, but after hearing Baoqin say this, she felt better. “Only when Your Majesty is well can we be well.”
Grandmother Jia then asked, "Why did you only ask Baoyu to move out?"
Baoqin maintained her calm expression: "Second Master Bao will be eighteen in two months. We can't raise him like a child anymore. A man from an ordinary family is already capable of standing on his own at this age. Second Master has lost his official position, and we can never count on First Master. Please think it over carefully, Madam."
Jia Baoyu was always raised by Grandmother Jia's side. Even after they moved to the Grand View Garden, he still spent half the day in Grandmother Jia's room. Grandmother Jia did not think he was eighteen years old.
"I'm afraid he's not used to it. He's never been away from me in his life." Grandmother Jia said, while glaring at Madam Wang, who must have been talking behind his back.
Baoqin, impatient with this, said, "I think it's about time. Is there anything else you two would like to say to Her Majesty?"
Lady Wang hurriedly said, "We are all well, Your Majesty, please don't worry. The right thing to do is to serve the Emperor well and help His Majesty have children as soon as possible."
Baoqin couldn't help but glance at her. "Having children?" If she were to tell the truth, how could the Empress possibly forgive Consort Xiande? She couldn't say it; it was the last bit of affection between mistress and servant.
"I understand. Where is the old lady?"
Grandmother Jia thought for a moment: "We will certainly obey Your Majesty's wishes and do so as soon as possible—"
Imperial decree? Baoqin's head was already starting to ache. Imperial decree, my foot! Today's disaster was all because of "an imperial decree".
The first sentence offended the Empress, and the second sentence offended His Majesty. Where did they get their talent from? They're truly birds of a feather.
Baoqin nodded and said, "Eunuch Xia is a ranked eunuch, so I shouldn't keep him waiting. I'll go out now."
After Baoqin went out, Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang exchanged a glance.
Lady Wang hesitated and said, "I just mentioned having many children, but Baoqin hasn't responded at all. Could it be... that Your Highness is already pregnant? Should we keep a low profile and accumulate good fortune for the young prince?"
The Rongguo Mansion is just wasting its time in its current state.
The money I earn is just a drop in the bucket, and my expenses are increasing every day. I don't know how much longer I can last.
Yuan Chun became their only hope.
Grandmother Jia nodded and said, "That is indeed possible. If we resign voluntarily, the credit can also be attributed to the young prince."
The two of them, through their conversation, filled in the gaps in this unfounded speculation.
Grandmother Jia's confidence returned, and she said, "How is Yu'er's dowry being prepared? I'm doing this for Your Highness's own good. They went out to inquire a few times, and everyone said that the Marquis of Zhongyong is a favored minister who often visits the palace. Who knows when he might come in handy?"
"Preparations are already underway," Madam Wang said dismissively, then added, "This man is incredibly rude and doesn't follow any rules. Who knows how long he'll remain in favor? Besides, even if he's favored, he's still in the imperial court; how could he possibly go to the inner palace?"
These words were meant as advice, but in reality they were meant to belittle the Earl of Zhongyong, which suited Grandmother Jia's taste perfectly. She laughed and said, "How could I not know? But Lian'er has also inquired quite a bit. The chieftains of Beili are all incredibly wealthy, and the village he chose is that of a major chieftain, so he must also be quite well-off."
After saying this, Grandmother Jia suddenly felt it was inappropriate. Being too focused on money would diminish dignity, so she added, "Alas... marrying Yu'er to such a person, he has nothing but money."
Just as the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were about to continue their conversation, a commotion suddenly broke out outside, and Jia Zhen practically rushed in.
"What does Yuan Chun mean by this! She wants to use people as a raft to boost her reputation, why bother coming to our Ningguo Mansion! Does she really think we're pushovers?"
Grandmother Jia was still immersed in the dream of Yuan-chun giving birth to a prince, making the Jia family a legitimate member of the imperial family. She also had a slightly less grand dream: to marry Yu-er to the Earl of Zhongyong's family, so that the Earl would bewitch her and offer up all his wealth. She couldn't tolerate Jia Zhen's suggestion.
“How old are you? Why are you still so immature? Her Majesty has her reasons for doing this, and besides, we, the Rongguo Mansion, are here with you. We also have to hand over the items that are beyond the permitted scope.”
As a long-time relative, Jia Zhen could tell at a glance that Grandmother Jia was just being perfunctory.
Jia Zhen called out "Grand Ancestor" with extreme sarcasm, and then said, "Don't really think you're an ancestor. You're just a few years older than me. Even a thousand-year-old tortoise or a ten-thousand-year-old turtle ends up in my belly."
Grandmother Jia's face turned red, and Lady Wang had the same expression.
"If you're so capable, then don't move it!" Grandmother Jia roared. "The Empress and His Majesty both know this, how dare you disobey the imperial decree?"
"I wouldn't dare," Jia Zhen said defiantly. "But you should also remember that I am the head of the Jia clan. If I suffer a loss, none of you will benefit."
The clan leader has far too many responsibilities, so Grandmother Jia softened her tone: "I think this is just a temporary measure; the empresses in the palace have their own plans."
Jia Zhen sneered twice, his pale face filled with malice: "Ten thousand taels of silver, the Lai family's garden, and starting this year, the silver paid to the Jia clan members who are not employed, you will bear 70% of the cost."
"You're trying to empty the Rongguo Mansion!" Grandmother Jia roared. "You must know what crimes the Lai family committed. They were all executed, and all their property was confiscated. There's nothing left!"
Grandmother Jia felt a pang of pain in her heart when she talked about this. The Lai family's garden was almost half the size of the Grand View Garden, yet they left them nothing.
"Fine," Jia Zhen said, revealing his true intentions. "I want the Rongguo Mansion's old residence in Jinling! I also want your mansion in Guchang Hutong!"
As the saying goes, family members know their own business. Jia Zhen is just asking for things that are too risky, so they're not afraid of him refusing.
Besides, they can let their servants take advantage of them. He is still the head of the Jia family clan. He should only ask for things to protect the Jia family and prevent them from being completely ruined by these spendthrift women.
“You—” Grandmother Jia pointed at his nose, stood up but then fell down again. Lady Wang hurriedly helped Grandmother Jia up, “We are all family, why force us to this point?”
"I forced you?" Jia Zhen asked incredulously. "If that Earl of Zhongyong had taken a liking to my sister, I would have happily married Xichun off to him, and she might even be pregnant by now. You two had to turn a good thing into a disaster; you deserve it!"
Another sarcastic "Grand Ancestor" came from Jia Zhen. "Stop pretending. Your eyes are trembling like that. Who do you think you can fool? Get your things ready. You know me. I'm willing to risk causing trouble. That lady in your palace wants to use me to enhance her reputation? I'll make her the one with the reputation!"
Jia Zhen left laughing, while Grandmother Jia's head throbbed with pain: "Yuanyang! Yuanyang!" she cried out, "Call the eldest master and the second master here!"
The next morning, Lin Daiyu got up and had just finished dressing when Xueyan came in from outside. She smiled at first, then seemed to realize something was wrong and straightened her face.
“I heard from Granny Cui that the Empress in the palace told Bao Er Ye to move out of the Grand View Garden and not to live in the old lady’s courtyard. She also told him to study hard, since Master Zhu passed the imperial examination at the age of fourteen and Bao Er Ye should also pass the imperial examination before the age of twenty.”
Jia Baoyu?
Although Lin Daiyu found it impossible, her expression remained unchanged: "You went out just to gossip?"
Xueyan said, "No, that's not it. Master Bao is wandering around the garden, delivering things to everyone."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Jia Baoyu's voice came from outside: "Is Lin Daiyu awake?"
The old woman outside gave him a polite rebuke: "What are you saying, Master Bao? It's already past 7:45 AM. How could the young lady be sleeping at this hour? Master Bao is not young anymore. Even if you don't go out, you should at least learn how to speak properly."
Xueyan raised an eyebrow. Had this old woman gone mad? How dare she confront Master Bao in public? But when she turned to look at her young mistress, she remained completely calm.
Anyway, as long as the girl understands what's going on, that's fine.
The old woman accompanied Jia Baoyu to the main room. When Jia Baoyu saw Lin Daiyu come out, he couldn't help but glance inside. He used to be able to lie in the same bed with Lin Daiyu, but now he wasn't even allowed to see the bedroom.
"Little sister, I'm moving out. While packing, I found a lot of things that were specially left for you."
Although her third brother was not there, Lin Daiyu still sat properly on the other side of the table, but she had no intention of letting Jia Baoyu off the hook.
"Is Master Bao moving to Qixianzhai?"
Jia Baoyu nodded, his face beaming with delight: "Sister, do you have time to visit me? If I have time, I'll come to visit you too."
He could still do this? Zijuan hadn't revealed a word of it. Lin Daiyu was at a loss for words.
However, Lin Daiyu quickly put the matter out of her mind, since it had nothing to do with her anyway.
"I heard that my second uncle has been staying at Mengpo Zhai recently?"
Lin Daiyu smiled, but her words sent a chill down Jia Baoyu's spine. He sighed and nodded, "Exactly."
Mengpo Studio was the master's outer study, next to his Qixian Studio. From then on, he lost his freedom and could only live under the master's nose.
"So this isn't for me. It's something I can't move out of here, so I'm hiding it here to avoid my second uncle finding out and scolding you."
“Sister, how could you misunderstand me like this?” Jia Baoyu said, trying to explain.
Lin Daiyu opened the bundle on the table, and saw that the first book on it was "The Story of Yingying". Flipping down, there were also "The Story of Feiyan" and "The Unofficial History of Hede".
In the past, she would have been really angry, but now that she has her third brother, how could she have time to be angry with Jia Baoyu? It's just a formality.
"I knew it! You didn't even think of me when it came to good stuff. And you still say you're using me as a shield?" Lin Daiyu sneered. "If you hide this thing here, do you even care about your reputation? Xueyan, go get a brazier."
"Sister, please don't—" Jia Baoyu said three words, then remembered what Xiren had said about Miss Lin in the past, and said again, "I don't believe you really burned it! Have you forgotten what happened that day?"
Xueyan could see clearly that the young lady was definitely going to leave the Rongguo Mansion. Since that was the case, why was she afraid of Master Bao?
The old lady has suffered more than one loss.
The brazier was quickly brought over, and Lin Daiyu asked, "Are you going to light it yourself, or should I have someone deliver the things to your second uncle?"
Jia Baoyu's eyes reddened: "I only sent these things because I wanted to be good to my sister. Do you really not care about our past friendship?"
Lin Daiyu used a fire poker to push the basin closer to Jia Baoyu.
Jia Baoyu was helpless. If he really sent it to his master, he would not be able to live. He pursed his lips, tears streaming down his face, tore the book in half, and threw the half-books into the brazier.
"It's better to burn them clean," Lin Daiyu said coldly. "If you really like these things, you can buy them back when you can make your own decisions. Also, I have something else to tell you. I never used to talk about the imperial examinations and official careers, not because I didn't like them, but because I had no other choice."
Yingchun remained silent, Tanchun only spoke with her second aunt, and Xichun was too young, while her maternal grandmother's words always implied that a woman's virtue lay in her lack of talent.
On her very first day, her grandmother said that the three sisters only knew a few words and were not illiterate.
What else could she do? She could only hide the Four Books she had read and only recite poems.
What she knew, which her father had taught her at home and which she had been taught by others, seemed to be completely out of the ordinary in the Rongguo Mansion.
Just as she had told her third brother, it was all to suppress her arrogance and make her feel like a useless person.
Jia Baoyu didn't say anything, stared at her for a long time, then ran out with red eyes.
...The one dressed as a boy is the most mischievous...
Remembering her third brother's words, Lin Daiyu chuckled.
He doesn't even need to be compared to his third brother; he really is—he's not even as good as a girl.
"Put those things away, and remember to pour water on them. Wait until they're out before emptying them, so they don't catch fire to other things," Lin Daiyu instructed.
Xueyan then poured the warm water she had prepared the night before onto the surface and stirred it with a stick.
Just as she was about to speak, a young maid from Grandmother Jia's courtyard came in, bowed, and said with a smile, "Grandmother said she got up late today, so young ladies, don't bother going to pay your respects. Eat in the small kitchen."
Xueyan exchanged a few polite words and saw the maid off. After returning, she asked Lin Daiyu, "Is there anything you'd like to eat, Miss? Should I go to the small kitchen and ask? Or should I use the token given to me by the Earl of Zhongyong to have the Wuyue Guild Hall deliver it?"
Since Mu Chuan mentioned it last time, he did indeed send a few people outside to be at Lin Daiyu's beck and call. Moreover, the people from the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion were really out of place with the Jia family. You could tell the difference at a glance if you stood at the second gate.
Lin Daiyu was still thinking when Aunt Liu from the small kitchen came over with people to deliver the things.
"I didn't know what the young lady wanted to eat, so I prepared a little of everything." Aunt Liu said with a smile as she placed the food on the table.
"This is a porridge made from three kinds of rice, with red dates added. Don't worry, young lady, they were all peeled and added last, so it's sweet and delicious. There's also savory soy milk and small wontons, which are cooked separately from the soup to prevent them from getting soggy. There's also three-shrimp noodles, which I've heard are a common dish in Suzhou. These are four kinds of snacks and eight kinds of side dishes. These are the char siu buns and walnut buns that I just learned to make. Please try them and see if they're to your liking. If there's anything wrong with them, I'll have someone come and give you a lecture later."
The table was quite large, and it was completely filled with food.
Lin Daiyu smiled and said, "Thank you for your help, Aunt Liu. Xueyan?"
Xueyan was still looking at the table. Aunt Liu was quite arrogant and wouldn't give face to anyone except Master Bao. However, since the young lady had called her, she didn't dare to think about it anymore. She quickly took the reward money and saw Aunt Liu out.
But judging from Aunt Liu's expression, it seemed as if she wished she could kneel down and kowtow twice before leaving.
Lin Daiyu looked at the table full of food and was also at a loss, not knowing which one to eat first.
After leaving Xiaoxiang Pavilion, Aunt Liu and the others started talking before even returning to the small kitchen.
"I wonder if Miss Lin is satisfied?"
"How could she be dissatisfied? That recipe was specially found by us. We know how to cook Suzhou cuisine, and we learn other dishes quickly. When Miss Lin gets married, we might be the ones to accompany her."
"She'll definitely have to accompany a few cooks. I heard the cooks at the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion only know how to make roast meat. How could Miss Lin possibly get used to that? Besides, if she doesn't accompany the cooks from the small kitchen, who else is she supposed to accompany the cooks from the main kitchen?"
"Last time, Miss Lin said that the people in the main kitchen weren't very skilled, and that they hadn't learned to cook a single new dish in all these years. Miss Lin doesn't like them."
Aunt Liu sighed, "If only I had asked someone to put Wu'er in Xiaoxiang Pavilion back then. But who could have known that Master Bao was such a useless person? He caused my Wu'er to lose her life in vain."
She wiped away her tears again.
The old woman next to her offered a few words of comfort, then said, "Take the medicinal herbs that Uncle Zhongyong sends over, for example. Sometimes Xueyan brings some over to boil into soup—tsk tsk, I've never seen such good stuff in my decades in the Rongguo Mansion."
The old woman in the small kitchen, who considered herself the person in the entire Jia family who knew the Zhongyong Earl's family fortune best, now saw that the winds had shifted and the Rongguo Mansion was probably in trouble, so she also wanted to find a big ship to jump on.
Is there any master more reliable than Miss Lin?
"I'm truly jealous of the old women at Xiaoxiang Pavilion. They have so much free time and good luck. They're born to accompany Miss Lin in her dowry. Unlike us, we have to work so hard to make ourselves known."
“Who wouldn’t be jealous of them? The empresses in the palace—” The man paused after saying four words, “I can’t say that. Anyway, I’ll go pay my respects later, ask how breakfast was, and then ask what they want for lunch.”
Suddenly, someone nearby chuckled: "I heard that in order to curry favor with Miss Lin, they've stopped giving Master Bao a friendly look."
Aunt Liu was slightly embarrassed and a little heartbroken. She refused the money the Xue family offered this time.
The group chatted and laughed as they returned, each carrying a food box to deliver breakfast to the other girls.
This was much less formal; a bowl of porridge, two kinds of snacks, and four side dishes were enough.
Anyway, the girls didn't eat much.
The atmosphere in the Rongguo Mansion became increasingly strange.
Ever since the news came that the Ning family next door was moving away, the masters above were laughing desperately, trying to create an atmosphere of peace and prosperity. But when Lin Daiyu went out for a stroll in the garden, at least ten old women jumped out to pay their respects to her, each one more obsequious than the last.
That morning, while everyone was eating, an old woman brought in a maid from the palace, who was a maid that Lin Daiyu recognized quite well.
"Miss Lin," the aunt said with a smile, "Her Majesty requests your presence at the palace. No rush, have breakfast before you go."
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