Chapter 68 Thanks to my father-in-law for laying a good foundation "The Lin family servants..."
When Jia Lian came out of Wang Xifeng's room, he scolded her a couple of times on the surface, seemingly not caring at all. But this matter could cost him his head, so how could he not be worried?
While cursing Sister You, he also sent someone to find out where she was being held so that he could make some arrangements for her in the future.
Jia Lian drank a few cups of wine alone in the outer study, feeling a bit tipsy, and went to the East Mansion to discuss it with Jia Zhen.
Jia Zhen was also drinking when he saw Jia Lian arrive. He then ordered the servants to bring out fresh wine and dishes, and the two brothers began to drink.
Jia Lian said a few words about You Erjie, and Jia Zhen suddenly remembered what You Shi had just said, so he sighed, "Your wife is indeed quite formidable. Originally, we could have just gotten away with it. But now it's turned out like this. You finally had a child, but I don't know if it can be kept. Alas..."
Jia Lian didn't really care about that, as long as he could have children. Besides, the reason they hadn't had any children all these years wasn't because he was incapable, but because Wang Xifeng was. Not only was she incapable, but she also kept a close watch on them, and he rarely even laid hands on Ping'er.
However, Jia Lian's mind hadn't been clouded by wine and women. He said, "She didn't do anything wrong. Second Sister You is different from others. Everyone in the family has met her. She even helped at Uncle's funeral last year. After a few months, even outsiders recognize her. If the government asks anyone and finds out we've been lying, then it will be even harder to explain."
Jia Zhen was taken aback, but fortunately, although he wasn't very bright, he was reasonable. He said sullenly, "Women are like that, they've never seen the world, they believe everything they hear."
Continuing the topic would make him seem foolish, so Jia Zhen immediately asked, "How is the matter of Miss Lin in your household going?"
This topic made Jia Lian sad.
"Don't even mention it. You know the old lady, I think she was still a bit reluctant and unwilling to back down first, but she did eventually tell her to start packing."
Jia Lian then changed the subject: "I heard that there has been some trouble with the marriage in the Wang family. The wedding was originally scheduled for the tenth day of the fifth month, but I heard a couple of days ago that the son of the Marquis of Baoning fell ill and said that the wedding would be postponed."
Jia Zhen sneered, "What do you mean by 'a little problem'? It's clearly meaningless. The Wang family only has one official position, which is different from our family's title."
After talking about the hardships of other people's families, the two of them felt a little better.
As the two drank until dusk, Jia Lian's messenger returned. There was really no need for much inquiry; taking someone away would certainly require a warrant, and besides, she was a woman from an official family—she wouldn't be thrown into jail immediately.
The servant said, "Second Madam You has been settled in a courtyard in Huimin Lane. She is being served by old women, and the environment is not bad. She lives in a side room, and I don't know whose woman lives in the main room. When I went there, she was cursing."
Jia Zhen chuckled twice: "You're almost in jail, and you're still so arrogant?"
The servant then flattered, "Who says otherwise? Judging from her words, it's as if she's harming the family's offspring."
Jia Zhen glanced at Jia Lian, hinting that his wife's due date was approaching. Jia Lian felt extremely uncomfortable: "I told you to inquire about your Second Mistress You, why are you inquiring about this?"
The servant quickly lowered his head: "I saw that the courtyard was fairly clean, and after glancing around outside, everything seemed to be in order. Of the twenty taels of silver that Second Master gave me, I gave five taels to the two old women first, and I'll have more tomorrow."
"Not bad," Jia Zhen praised. "She's a capable person; she needs to be kept in check to serve people well."
The servant smiled obsequiously again: "You flatter me, sir." He then added, "I also asked, and the gatekeeper said that visits are certainly allowed, but we are not allowed to discuss the case."
Jia Zhen, being unconcerned, was pleased to be left alone and said, "They're asking you for money."
Jia Lian wasn't as relaxed as him. He sent a servant down and begged Jia Zhen, "Could you ask her sister to go and persuade her? To put her mind at ease. Originally, we couldn't do anything because she was in mourning. Now that she's out of mourning, I'll hold a banquet and acknowledge her as my second wife."
Jia Zhen sent someone to invite You Shi over, and then said to Jia Lian, "You tell her yourself."
Jia Lian then repeated his earlier statement: "Please, sister-in-law, save my brother."
"This..." Madam You looked troubled, thinking that she had finally found an opportunity to take root in Ci'er.
“It’s not that I’m unwilling. As you know, those two are my stepmother’s daughters. They were not even five years old when I got married, and we haven’t spent much time together over the years. Besides, if you ask me to persuade them, I should ask Sister Feng. She is the first wife, and she said that it would be more proper for Second Sister to be the second wife.”
Jia Lian was somewhat tempted. It wasn't that he was afraid of anything else, but he was afraid that Sister Feng would scold him.
How could Madam You really dare to ask him to go find Wang Xifeng? She was just pretending to be in a difficult position.
Besides, Wang Xifeng is quick-witted and eloquent, while the second daughter is a fool. If she manages to fool her, the second daughter will lose her position.
“Sigh, it’s not that I don’t want to help you, I’ll try first. Just don’t let Sister Feng know yet.” Madam You sighed, “You know what kind of person she is. This time she said she wanted to have a formal banquet and become a second wife, I don’t know what kind of trouble she will cause. I’ve always been very good to her, and because of this, she will probably hate me in the future.”
“No, that won’t happen,” Jia Zhen said first. “Feng Jie is not young anymore, and she can’t live like before. Besides, they are husband and wife, so helping Lian Er is also helping her. If she hadn’t come up with this idea in a moment of inspiration, who knows what would have happened.”
Jia Lian poured himself a drink and downed it in one gulp: "Thank you first, sister-in-law."
Madam You accepted the task with a troubled expression: "I'm not good with words, I'll go back and think about how to say it tomorrow."
Jia Lian felt both scared and somewhat relieved, and he drank with Jia Zhen until they were completely drunk.
It was already dark, and Lin Daiyu, having been out all day, had gone to bed early. Zijuan gently nudged Xueyan and asked with a smile, "Why are you so tired today? Where did you accompany the young lady?"
Xueyan yawned twice: "Where else could we go? The charity sale we talked about last time. We also went to a very big theater. That place was..." Xueyan yawned, unable to think of a word for a long time, so she changed her words.
"Even the Marquis of Zhongyong didn't get the best seat. It turns out there are still so many powerful and influential people in the capital. There was also a girl with a mask on her face, but the mask was covered with pearls and agate, and it even looked like gold. I wonder how she managed to hang it up like that. I wonder if her ears were heavy."
Zijuan was thinking about the wild goose in the study, but Xueyan remained oblivious, as if she hadn't grown up. After asking a few questions, she only said that she had never seen this one and had never heard of that one. Zijuan was getting a little angry. Was she asking her what new and interesting things were outside?
"You're supposed to be serving the girls when you go out, why are you wandering around by yourself?"
Xueyan was startled and said, "Sister Zijuan, I won't be playful next time."
"You're not young anymore." Zijuan became irritated, but she couldn't ask too directly, and she certainly couldn't say, "Didn't you keep a close eye on the girl and let her be alone with Uncle Zhongyong?"
Just as she was about to ask again, Yuanyang's voice came from outside: "The old lady asked me to bring some things to the young lady."
Zijuan hurriedly went out to receive it, and Yuanyang smiled and said, "This is a new dress that the old lady specially ordered to be made for Miss Lin. No other girl has one. Please keep it safe and don't make a loud noise."
Zijuan quickly thanked him, and Yuanyang asked again, "Is the young lady asleep?"
"You look quite tired," Zijuan said with a smile. "You went to bed early."
"The old lady specially sent these things. Since the young lady is asleep... then come with me."
Zijuan went to Grandmother Jia's room again.
The next day, Mu Chuan went to the palace early in the morning. He brought with him calligraphy samples written by Lin Daiyu and some of his own excellent assignments, intending to ask the emperor for his comments.
"Isn't this good?" the emperor laughed. "Miss Lin taught very well, and your writing is also quite good."
Mu Chuan said, "Your Majesty, what do you think about me creating a calligraphy model based on Miss Lin's calligraphy?"
He sets aside so much time each day to write, isn't that for this?
He wanted Lin Daiyu to have the ability to be independent and truly become a member of the Lin family, no longer subject to the Rongguo Mansion, and to become a cousin of the Rongguo Mansion and the granddaughter of Grandmother Jia. In that case, fame was a must.
"Strokes, radicals, structure, and even single-component characters. I think Miss Lin teaches them very systematically."
Although the spies sent by the emperor to Jiangnan have not yet returned with any news, the fact that the emperor has already taken action proves that he is still willing to trust Lin Ruhai, so Mu Chuan felt that he could begin his operation.
The emperor hadn't initially thought of it that way, but after Mu Chuan's reminder, he flipped through the calligraphy samples again and smiled, "Her regular script has a style very similar to Wang Xizhi and Zhong Yao."
Mu Chuan looked delighted: "Yes, yes, these are the two of them. To be honest, I didn't even know the character '繇' at first."
The emperor chuckled: "Go and bring me the calligraphy practice book that the princess uses."
This was an unexpected surprise; he couldn't have done it alone. Mu Chuan silently thanked his father-in-law.
The eunuch returned quickly, and the emperor took the calligraphy copybook to compare with the others, and laughed, "Her calligraphy is indeed quite good, better than the one we hired in the palace."
"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."
The emperor laughed loudly: "Qiao Yue, what else needs to be added?"
Mu Chuan then said, "She is also very good at writing poetry."
The emperor suddenly remembered Jia Yuanchun's visit to her family home years ago. Although the visit had other purposes and the time of her departure from the palace was specially arranged by him, the procedure was still formal. The emperor then instructed the eunuch: "Go and bring the poems that Jia Yuanchun wrote during her visit home."
"I haven't seen this before. Let's take a look at it together with Qiao Yue today."
Mu Chuan then said with great pride, "Although I don't understand poetry, Miss Lin is definitely the best, after all, she comes from a family with a long tradition of learning. None of the others have such a good father."
The emperor recalled Lin Ruhai, a man of outstanding talent and who had achieved the third-highest rank in the imperial examinations, and for the first time felt that Qiao Yue's choice of words was somewhat crude. "Has a good father? That's hardly a match."
The eunuch returned quickly. Although it was from several years ago, it was well preserved, with no signs of yellowing around the edges of the paper.
The emperor read through the poems one by one. When he saw two poems that mentioned "awaiting the phoenix to come" and "phoenix", he couldn't help but sneer. It was just a pheasant with two feathers stuck on its tail. How could it be a phoenix?
"Oh? This poem, 'The Paradise Beyond the World,' was written by Miss Lin. It's not bad, but I think 'Apricot Curtain in Sight' is the best. It was written by Jia Baoyu, Jia's younger brother. It's just that the quality of his poems varies."
The emperor clearly saw that only two of the poems praised his imperial favor. The others either praised the garden's scenery or the Jia family.
Mu Chuan leaned over and took a look, then said, "Your Majesty, why don't we summon Jia Baoyu to the palace and ask him who wrote this?"
The emperor also felt that it wasn't written by Jia Baoyu, since the styles of the beginning and end were different.
“Summoning him in is actually giving him an honor.” The emperor’s tone was somewhat instructive to Mu Chuan. “I am the emperor. Even if I summon someone in and scold him, and that person goes out and spreads that I was scolded by His Majesty, it can be considered as receiving favor. Qiao Yue should also remember that such things are not allowed.”
Mu Chuan thanked the emperor for his instruction, but was still somewhat disappointed.
The emperor laughed again, “Actually, one look is enough to tell that this poem was written by Miss Lin. When visiting relatives, one must write a poem praising the emperor. This is also tested in the imperial examination. This one is very much in the style of Lin Ruhai.”
"Qiao Yue, come and take a look. What's so good about these poems?"
Mu Chuan wasn't completely clueless. He read them one by one, but some of the traditional characters were too complicated and looked like a jumbled mess. He didn't recognize them at first glance, so he just nodded and nodded.
The emperor found it amusing and didn't disturb him, waiting for him to finish reading.
Mu Chuan read it once and then divided the poem into five parts.
"These poems, as I read them, praise the beauty of the garden. This one praises the garden and then the Imperial Concubine. These poems praise the garden and also exclaim how happy it would be to live there. This one praises the Emperor's grace, and this one not only praises the Emperor's grace but also celebrates the peaceful and prosperous era."
Actually, Mu Chuan also took a bit of a shortcut; just by looking at the names, you could tell how to divide them.
The emperor laughed loudly: "If anyone calls you a boor, I'll allow you to punch him—just one punch, but don't hit him too hard."
Mu Chuan thanked the emperor again for his kindness, and the emperor smiled and said, "In a couple of days, I will have the empress summon her. The calligraphy is indeed good, but this is not enough. Let her write more. I will have the Imperial Household Department produce more calligraphy samples."
Mu Chuan thanked his father-in-law again.
After leaving the Imperial Study, Mu Chuan went to pay his respects to the Emperor Emeritus as usual, but he didn't discuss these matters with the Emperor Emeritus.
Mu Chuan only said that he was going to try boating at Xiyuan Garden right away, and that he would row the boat when the Emperor Emeritus went boating on the lake. He even rolled up his sleeves to show the Emperor Emeritus his strong muscles.
The Emperor Emeritus was satisfied but also somewhat regretful, and he rewarded Mu Chuan with many gifts.
After leaving the palace, Mu Chuan headed towards the West Garden, where Li Chengwu was waiting for him at the entrance with six rowers.
Although thirty people were initially selected, it would be impractical to bring all thirty into the royal garden, otherwise Mu Chuan would become a vacancy.
There were eunuchs waiting for them at the door. Once everyone was there, they led Mu Chuan and his party inside.
"The dragon boat races for the Dragon Boat Festival will be held at the South Pond." The eunuch introduced politely, "Starting from the dock at the entrance of Yuanjing Palace, the boats will travel north along the west bank of the South Pond to Chunhua Island, circle half of Chunhua Island, and then return to Yuanjing Palace along the east bank of the South Pond."
Mu Chuan then demonstrated his natural skill in slipping red envelopes to the eunuchs.
The eunuch squeezed the red seal and smiled, "The most precious thing here is the two bridges on the east and west sides of Chunhua Island. You'll see for yourself when you come with me, sir."
The group headed north and soon arrived at their destination.
The eunuch pointed to the narrowest part of Chunhua Island, saying, "There are long bridges on both the east and west sides, but how to pass through these bridge arches is a complicated matter. The middle arch is the widest, and the arches on both sides get narrower. Not to mention that some people might deliberately block the way because they have no hope of winning the championship, even if you accidentally hit a bridge pier, you will capsize. Moreover, I advise you, sir, not to try to pass through the largest middle arch when you come over, as it is difficult to control."
Mu Chuan then slipped him another red envelope.
The eunuch pointed to his young apprentice and said with a smile, "I'll go arrange a boat for you first, sir. Don't wander around; just take a look and come back the way you came."
Mu Chuan understood the importance of stress reduction, especially for the rowers, who were already soldiers and there was no need to put pressure on them.
He patted Li Chengwu on the shoulder: "You're the helmsman, you control the direction, you need to practice more."
Having nearly died once, Li Chengwu was not afraid of this: "Don't worry, Fourth Uncle, I definitely won't let you fall into the water."
After watching for a while, Mu Chuan called them to go back with the little eunuch.
It wasn't his first time rowing, but it was his first time rowing in the West Garden. Mu Chuan instructed them to go slowly, especially to let Li Chengwu experience the feeling of going through the bridge arch.
After slowly paddling around twice, that's about it.
The group came out of the West Garden again. The rowers got into the carriage and prepared to return to the military camp. Mu Chuan and Li Chengwu rode horses. To be honest, Li Chengwu didn't really want to, since his fourth uncle's horse was too tall and his fourth uncle was also too tall, so he would have to hold his head up to talk.
“In a few days, when we have a different group of people come back, I will say again: You need to control the direction and practice more.”
Li Chengwu nodded hurriedly: "Fourth Uncle, I know."
After finishing his business here, Mu Chuan returned to the North Camp to continue training the soldiers.
At Rongguo Mansion, Madam You visited You Erjie and talked to her about the second branch of the family. She also hinted that Wang Xifeng's decision to bring her in was unclear. In the end, she managed to persuade her to stay.
In reality, You Erjie's heart was entirely with Jia Lian, and Wang Xifeng's two threatening words alone were enough for her to make the "correct" decision.
Besides, what else could she do but go in with Wang Xifeng?
Her younger sister died, her mother died, and not only did Master Lian not come, but even Master Zhen and Rong-ge didn't come. She lived in the courtyard with a few servants, and she was terrified.
If Wang Xifeng hadn't come to pick her up, she was afraid that Second Master Lian would abandon her.
Sister You Er, holding Sister You's hand, said with red eyes, "Sister, go back and tell Master Lian that I will never let him down."
After returning home, Lady You said to Jia Lian after careful consideration, "The matter has been settled. But Second Master, my sister has sacrificed her reputation for you, so you must treat her well."
Jia Lian readily agreed to the potentially costly matter with a smile: "If I didn't like her, why would I marry her? Just ask her what I said back then; I've always remembered it. Please visit her often, sister-in-law, to put her mind at ease."
After a few days of leisure, one morning, all the young ladies gathered in Grandmother Jia's room, but they were all much more cautious and polite in their speech.
Jia Baoyu laughed and said, "Spring is here and flowers are blooming. I saw forsythia the other day. Its tender yellow color is very eye-catching. Shouldn't we start a poetry club?"
Who would be in the mood to write poetry at a time like this?
Tan Chun smiled and declined, saying, "Master is ill, and it is precisely the time to take care of him. If you have time, please write a few more pieces of calligraphy; Master will want to see them when he recovers."
Jia Baoyu immediately turned into a quail: "Why bring this up again out of the blue?"
Actually, Tan Chun originally wanted to help him copy a few poems, but what Aunt Zhao said still left some marks in her heart. Moreover, she really felt that Bao Yu was behaving inappropriately, so she thought that he should take on some responsibilities himself.
Lady Wang glanced at Tan Chun. Although she should have advised her in this way, she was unhappy because Bao Yu was unhappy: "Homework should be done every day. If you don't believe me, ask your sister Lin."
Lin Daiyu smiled and said, "Second Aunt is right. Baoyu should listen to Second Aunt."
Jia Baoyu became increasingly listless.
Yuanyang helped Grandmother Jia out of the inner room. Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "Yu'er's birthday is in a couple of days. During the New Year, your wife and I went to the palace and didn't celebrate properly. Let's take this opportunity to have some fun. Just tell us what you want to eat or what kind of opera you want to see."
Xue Baochai became wary. Come to think of it, Lin's birthday celebrations had always been just a casual meal. She politely said, "Let's ask Lin first what the birthday girl would like to eat?"
This title surprised not only Lin Daiyu, but even Lady Wang for a moment.
Lin Daiyu even felt a pang of sadness at the difficulty of transitioning from luxury to frugality; she was genuinely unaccustomed to the sudden change in her self-identification as Daiyu.
Thinking about it, she laughed: "Let's go eat first. Right now, all I can think about is plum blossom cake, savory soy milk, and barbecued pork buns. I can't eat that on my birthday, can I?"
Everyone laughed, and Shi Xiangyun said, "What about that sugar cake from last time that would burn your back if you ate it?"
Lin Daiyu then said with a stern face: "Didn't your sister Tan Chun say that it's not good to eat this when it's hot, or it will burn your back?"
After breakfast, Grandmother Jia asked someone to stay behind to discuss how to celebrate Lin Daiyu's birthday.
Lin Daiyu felt a bit bored; her grandmother's smile seemed too unnatural. If it had been two years, she might have been moved, but so many years had passed. She felt a bit like she was being given a beating followed by a sweet treat.
But thinking about how her third brother usually conducts himself, she felt happy to receive gifts and enjoy the performance.
“We need a table of Suzhou dishes, after all. Aunt Meng has done a very good job,” Lin Daiyu said, listing the dishes one by one. “If the weather is nice, we can have it served in the Grand View Garden. Also, how about finding a new opera troupe?”
Grandmother Jia smiled and agreed. Then she thought of the day she had called Zijuan to ask her questions, and realized that with the arrangements made, Zijuan would definitely not be able to leave that day.
We can't let her get too close to the Earl of Zhongyong, otherwise what will become of the Rongguo Mansion?
With Min'er gone, the Rongguo Mansion is her maternal home. What girl wouldn't side with her maternal home?
Besides, what if she lives too well and forgets how much her grandmother loves her?
Grandmother Jia then instructed, "See which opera troupes are available recently, and invite them in for a performance in the next couple of days. I haven't heard an opera in a long time—" Grandmother Jia paused slightly, "How about we perform for three days?"
"It's time to have some fun," Aunt Xue said with a smile.
"The old lady really dotes on her," Madam Wang said with a smile.
As they were talking, an old woman came in from the second gate, bowed, and looked up with a strange expression on her face.
"Grandma, a few old women and maids have come outside. They say they are from the Lin family and have been sent by their master to see Miss Lin."
What!
Wasn't it said that the entire Lin family was dead?
Jia Baoyu instinctively said, "Could it be a swindler?"
"What could she possibly be lying to you about?" Lin Daiyu retorted.
Jia Baoyu thought for a moment: "Perhaps they've come to scam the reward money?"
Grandmother Jia frowned. She couldn't say in front of Lin Daiyu that the Lin family had no one left: "Yuanyang, go and see. If it's false, then send them away."
Yuanyang walked all the way to the front yard, and when she saw the people, she realized why the old woman's expression had been so strange.
That's clearly Shen's mother!
She was dressed much more elegantly, with some powder on her face, making her look much more presentable than before.
“Young lady,” Madam Shen said with a smile, “my husband’s surname is Liu, you can just call me Madam Liu.”
Yuanyang frowned. How should she respond?
That Marquis Zhongyong is far too arrogant and bullying! We know you don't respect our Rongguo Mansion, but you should at least choose someone else!
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