Chapter 69 Giving Away the Stargazing Mirror
Before long, the old women from Rongyue Courtyard brought over a box.
"Reporting to the old lady, Miss Lin said that this stargazing mirror is for the second master."
The women said a few words, opened the box, showed it to everyone, closed it again, and then took their leave.
Grandmother Jia glared at Jia Zheng.
"Now you can see clearly who's good to you! You only have this one niece, and to avoid putting you in a difficult position, I gave you all my cherished possessions. From now on, if any unpleasant rumors spread about you, I won't ask anyone else, I'll just ask you to handle it!"
Jia Zheng felt both heartbroken and ashamed.
When Daiyu first arrived, the servants in the mansion wentssiping about her for a while, saying some unpleasant things.
He knew that Wang Shi was indulging him and didn't really try to control him.
As a form of compensation, knowing that Daiyu loved reading as much as Jia Min, he gave her many books.
Unexpectedly, Daiyu remembered this small gift and would send her tea and snacks from Rongyue Courtyard every few days, always saying that it was a gift from her niece to her second uncle.
Jia Zheng suddenly felt a pang of jealousy towards Lin Ruhai. How could such a sweet and caring daughter belong to someone else?
Although she herself had two children, Yuan Chun was raised by the old lady from a young age and was always dignified, rarely showing the demeanor of a young girl.
Tan Chun was raised by the second wife, but because she was born to Aunt Zhao, she always treated him with great respect. They were more like a subordinate to a superior than father and daughter!
Only Daiyu could make him realize how fulfilling it would be to have a beautiful daughter.
Unfortunately, that wasn't his.
well!
“Granny, the star-gazing mirror can’t see the toad on the moon. The moon is full of craters and holes. I’ve searched for so long but haven’t found Chang’e, Wu Gang, the Jade Rabbit, or the toad.” Daiyu leaned against Yuan Hongqu.
The two sat together on the swing chair in the yard, swaying slowly.
As Daiyu gazed at the full moon in the sky, she thought of the scene she had seen through the star-gazing mirror, and felt that all those beautiful poems seemed to have been shattered.
Sure enough, seeing the scenery was not as good as hearing about it; the devastated moon was clearly beyond her imagination.
"When I was little, I didn't know the moon, calling it a white jade plate. I also suspected it was a mirror from a celestial palace, flying at the edge of the blue clouds," Daiyu murmured. "But it's not a white jade plate, it's a broken plate..."
Yuan Hongqu felt a little regretful for shattering Lin Daiyu's beautiful fantasy about the moon. If this child were to start a poetry club in the future and still be unable to write poems, it would probably all be because of this incident.
She gently comforted Daiyu.
"There will be Chang'e on the moon, as well as the Jade Rabbit, and Wu Gang... probably too."
"Really, Granny? Then why haven't I seen them for so long?"
“They are all immortals. If immortals could be easily seen by us mortals, that would be terrible. What you saw was probably just an illusion they created,” Yuan Hongqu said softly.
"Hmm, Granny, how can we see them? Do we need to burn incense and pray?"
"No need for that," Yuan Hongqu said, still trying to figure out how to smooth things over, when she heard Daiyu add,
"Granny, I think it's because Chang'e doesn't like others peeking into her life that she forbids mortals from seeing her! Just like I don't like others secretly looking at me; it's really too offensive. When I use a star-gazing mirror to look at the moon, isn't that the same as peeking into Chang'e's life?"
"Hmm, that makes sense too."
Yuan Hongqu thought to herself, "This little girl has managed to coax herself back to health."
She had originally thought that if Daiyu was still depressed because of losing the Star Gazing Mirror, she would have to use the "Stealing the Sky and Changing the Sun" trick again.
Last time, she happened to get some good crystals, found a craftsman to grind them into lenses, and then made a lens tube. She adjusted it many times, and finally she was able to vaguely see the moon and some nearby planets.
Then I put it into the space.
The star-gazing telescope used for Daiyu was an astronomical telescope that she bought at a high price in her space. She disguised its appearance so that it was almost indistinguishable from the one she made in the Dream of the Red Chamber world.
Although this telescope is very amateurish, it can still clearly see the moon's appearance and a slightly more distant asteroid.
Before Daiyu returned, Yuan Hongqu had already learned of what had happened in Rongqing Hall, so she immediately went to switch the star-gazing mirror.
The star-gazing mirror given to Jia Zheng was handcrafted, a product of the Dream of the Red Chamber world.
As for the one Daiyu used, we'll find an opportunity later to make a handmade one so it can be used again.
Jia Zheng personally delivered the star-gazing mirror to the Imperial Observatory.
When the Director of the Imperial Observatory, Lord Wang, saw Jia Zhen arrive, his mustache practically flew to the sky with joy.
"Lord Jia is truly righteous, thank you very much."
He was about to open the box, wanting to see the stargazing mirror that could see the toad inside the moon.
Jia Zheng stopped him.
"Lord Wang, let's make this clear first: you must return it to me after you've used it."
"Well, Lord Jia, we'll definitely return it to you after the Imperial Observatory has used it." A sly glint flashed in Lord Wang's small eyes. Who could say for sure what would happen in the heavens?
When there's no rain or snow, you have to use a stargazing telescope every day!
run out?
That's impossible to use up completely, unless the observatory breaks!
Jia Zheng knew that Lord Wang was cunning, and that his question was superfluous. Jia Zheng's expression turned serious, and he said solemnly:
"Lord Wang, I'm not joking. This stargazing mirror doesn't belong to my family..."
Lord Wang chuckled, "Lord Jia, if it came from your house, how could it not be yours..."
“Lord Wang, those are my relative’s things. If I don’t take them back, I’m afraid she will think I’m a dishonest person. If you don’t need them anymore, please just let me know.”
When Lord Wang saw that Jia Zheng was still pressing him for a definite answer, his expression changed, and he snorted, "If you don't want to use it, just say so, and I'll go talk to the Emperor!"
Jia Zheng was frustrated.
He suddenly remembered a few words the old woman had said when he was carrying the box.
"Our daughter's star-gazing telescope is only known to her family. How could it have reached the ears of the Imperial Observatory? Besides, the idea that a star-gazing telescope can see a toad on the moon is nonsense. At most, it just makes the moon look a little bigger than it usually appears..."
"Lord Wang, could you tell me where you learned about this star-gazing mirror?"
Lord Wang gave Jia Zheng a half-smile and said,
“Last month, your son who was born with a jade in his mouth went to play at the Prince of Beijing’s mansion. Coincidentally, my good-for-nothing grandson was there too. It was from him that I heard that your family has a star-gazing mirror.”
"Baoyu? Good, very good indeed!" Jia Zheng's eyes were bloodshot.
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