20demayo Chapter 186 Dream of the Red Chamber - Lin Jiyu 19
Chapter 186 Dream of the Red Chamber - Lin Jiyu 19
With the help of Lin Ruhai and the Wei family, Lin Jiyu's marriage was arranged with the eldest daughter of the Wang family, who is fourteen years old this year, the same age as Lin Jiyu. The eldest daughter of the Wang family is the emperor's confidante, and the Wang family also agreed. The two sides began to go through the formalities.
As winter approached, the Rongguo Mansion once again invited Lin Daiyu to visit. Lin Daiyu sat quietly in a chair with Zijuan by her side.
Suddenly a commotion came from outside. Lin Daiyu turned her head and saw Xue Baochai and Jia Xichun walking in with someone in their arms. They came to Jia Tanchun and Li Wan.
“This is my younger sister,” Xue Baochai introduced, pressing on Xue Baoqin’s shoulder.
"Really? Sister, you're so beautiful," Tan Chun said hesitantly.
"Call her sister-in-law," Xue Baochai introduced to Li Wan.
"sister in law."
Xue Baochai then pulled over Xue Ke and introduced him: "This is my brother, Xue Ke."
After introducing everyone, Xue Baochai acted as if she were the hostess and said to herself, "Baoqin, have fun here, I'll come back later."
Xue Baochai led Xue Ke through the crowd and introduced him to Jia Yingchun: "This is Second Sister."
"Second sister."
Jia Yingchun was quietly discussing chess with Lin Daiyu when Xue Baochai introduced her to Lin Daiyu: "This is Sister Lin."
"Sister Lin."
Xue Baochai introduced everyone one by one, while Lin Daiyu continued to sit in her chair, discussing chess with Jia Yingchun. There were too many people, and Lin Daiyu, who preferred quiet, felt it was all too chaotic.
Seeing that Xue Ke was handsome, Jia Baoyu decided to let Xue Ke stay for a few days. He ran to Grandmother Jia's side and whispered, "Grandmother, please let him stay!"
Madam Wang kept pulling Xue Baoqin along, saying, "She's so beautiful." Her face was beaming with joy, as if she were looking at her daughter-in-law.
Seeing this, Wang Xifeng joked, "Since Madam likes Baoqin so much, I think we should just adopt her as our goddaughter."
Aunt Xue quickly said, "Hurry up and bow!"
Xue Baoqin took a step back and bowed to Madam Wang, saying, "Greetings, Godmother!"
"Alright, alright." Madam Wang helped Xue Baoqin up.
Lin Daiyu noticed this situation, told Jia Yingchun, and then came to Jia Xichun's side to chat with her.
Jia Xichun had liked Lin Daiyu since she was a child, but unfortunately Lin Daiyu often stayed at the Lin Mansion. Although the Rongguo Mansion was better than the Ningguo Mansion, it was not her own home, so she always felt a little uncomfortable.
At this time, Sister Lin would take her to stay for a day or two. The Lin family had a very good atmosphere, and she liked staying at the Lin residence. Unfortunately, as a relative, she couldn't stay for too long.
“Sister Xichun, it’s been a long time since you’ve stayed at the Lin family’s house. Do you have some free time lately? Come stay at my house for a few days,” Lin Daiyu said.
Jia Xichun was delighted to hear Sister Lin's invitation.
"I can't refuse Sister Lin's invitation, but unfortunately, my sisters are coming to visit, and the old lady will definitely ask us to entertain them properly. I guess I won't have time for a while." Jia Xichun said with a displeased expression.
Lin Daiyu rubbed Jia Xichun's head: "Why are you so upset? There's no time now, but you can come over anytime you have time."
Xue Baochai walked up to Lin Daiyu and said, "Why aren't you two going over to play? What are you saying here?"
Xue Baochai wanted to marry into the Lin family, but she never had the chance. Lin Jiyu wouldn't give her that chance either. I heard recently that Lin Jiyu was already engaged, so Xue Baochai had no chance. She didn't even manage to win over the daughters of officials when Lin Daiyu started the poetry club.
"We were talking about when to start a poetry club?" Lin Daiyu replied directly, and Jia Xichun knew how to be tactful.
"This matter still needs to be finalized." Xue Baochai brushed it off, saying that Lin Daiyu had already held three poetry clubs, while the Rongguo Mansion had only held one, and that crab feast hadn't gone very well.
Then Jia Baoyu asked Xing Xiuyan, Xing Furen's niece, to stay behind. Then Shi Xiangyun came in chattering. Grandmother Jia said, "Shi Xiangyun's uncle has been sent to another province to serve as a high-ranking official. He will be going to take up his post in another province soon. I couldn't bear to part with Xiangyun, so I kept her here and brought her home. I arranged for her to stay in the Xiaoxiang Pavilion, which is the same place she used to live."
Xue Baoqin, Xing Xiuyan, and Shi Xiangyun stayed in the Grand View Garden, making it extremely lively.
Lin Daiyu returned home and embroidered her wedding dress every day. After the New Year, she would be sixteen years old. Her father discussed with the Wei family and set the wedding date for September of the following year.
Wei Chi was a humorous and witty young man. Lin Daiyu often discussed poetry with him. Wei Chi was also skilled in various musical instruments, and had some knowledge of the guzheng and guqin.
Lin Jiyu had investigated Wei Chi. Wei Chi had a pursuit of love. Wei Chi's father, Wei Feng, was a man who loved his wife. Several of Wei Chi's older brothers were born to Wei Feng's wife, Meng.
Lin Daiyu's health has been improved over more than ten years. Although she is now in a similar state to an average person, she is still somewhat weak. It is estimated that she will have some difficulty conceiving. Wei Chi is the youngest son of the Wei family and does not need to bear any responsibility. Lin Ruhai and Wei Feng discussed that if Lin Daiyu is unable to give birth to a child, they hope to raise a child for her in the future.
Lin Jiyu knew her father's worries, but she could only say that her father was worrying unnecessarily. Lin Jiyu was someone who possessed the fertility pill and the smooth delivery pill, so how could she let her sister have this trouble? If Lin Daiyu was willing to raise the child, Lin Jiyu would do so according to her wishes.
When Xue Baoqin arrived at the Rongguo Mansion in the Grand View Garden, her striking good looks immediately attracted the attention of Grandmother Jia and others.
Xue Baoqin followed her maid to Hengwu Garden. Xue Baochai saw it was another novelty and, pretending not to care, asked, "Where did you get this?"
Xue Baoqin said smugly, "It's snowing outside, and the old lady found this for me."
People around came to touch it; the cloak was embroidered with the finest duck down, and it felt warm to the touch.
Shi Xiangyun bluntly said, "It's clear that the old lady dotes on you a lot. She dotes on Baoyu so much, but I've never seen her wear any clothes like that!"
At this moment, Amber spoke up abruptly: "The old lady said that Miss Bao should not keep a close eye on Miss Qin. She is still young, so let her do whatever she wants."
These words directly broke Xue Baochai's defenses. Xue Baochai had been in the Rongguo Mansion for so long, but she had never seen Grandmother Jia value her so much. Now that Xue Baoqin had arrived, it was only right that the Xue family should be in charge of the Xue family members. Grandmother Jia's words were a direct slap in the face to Xue Baochai.
A moment of vulnerability struck Xue Baochai, who uttered an inappropriate remark: "I just don't believe I'm inferior to you in any way."
Seeing that the atmosphere was not quite right, Jia Tanchun suggested directly: "Our poetry club is really thriving right now. I was thinking about the poetry club in the fall, but Sister Lin didn't have time and Xiangyun didn't come either, which always dampened my poetic mood."
Jia Baoyu was also happy, and continued Jia Tanchun's words: "So many people have come here by some strange coincidence. I just counted them on my fingers, and there are twelve in total. This year, the garden is even more lively than before."
Jia Tanchun loudly proposed, "Judging from the weather, it's going to snow heavily tonight, the first heavy snow of winter. Let's start a poetry club at Luxue Hermitage tomorrow."
Everyone applauded, and Jia Tanchun said, "We must invite Sister Lin to attend this time."
“Yes, Sister Lin has invited us three times already, it’s time to return the favor,” Jia Xichun said, adding that she hadn’t had time to stay at the Lin residence lately.
When Lin Daiyu received the invitation, she thought of Jia Baoyu, but then she thought of the three sisters, Chun and her friends. It was rare for them to invite her, so she couldn't refuse every time.
While Lin Daiyu was having fun, Lin Jiyu was granted the position of compiler in the Hanlin Academy, which was a seventh-rank official position.
A seventh-rank official doesn't need to attend the grand court sessions; he only needs to report to the Hanlin Academy each time. Lin Jiyu's superior was an easy-going person, and Lin Jiyu did simple editing work every day, allowing him to retire thirty years early.
Lin Jiyu knew that the current peace and quiet was only temporary. Once the Emperor Emeritus fell, Lin Jiyu believed that he would be given important responsibilities by the Emperor. The Emperor had already taken action these days, seemingly consolidating his military power.
Remember the boy Lin Jiyu saved when he went to take the provincial examination? He was a pawn in the emperor's scheme to consolidate military power. Lin Jiyu accidentally ran into Liu Fengqing, and the two even drank together. Lin Jiyu had saved Liu Fengqing's life, and the two hit it off immediately and got along very well.
A few days later, Liu Fengqing said he was being transferred to another province, and Lin Jiyu guessed that the Emperor was about to take action.
Before she knew it, it was the Lantern Festival. Lin Daiyu did not accept Grandmother Jia's invitation to go to the Rongguo Mansion to celebrate the festival. She only wanted to stay at the Lin family home with her father and younger brother.
The story of the Rongguo Mansion is much more exciting. Lin Daiyu is busy preparing for her marriage. Her father has given her a lot of dowry. Women in ancient times had a hard life. If their dowry was not generous, like Madam Xing, they would be looked down upon by their father's family.
At the beginning of the year, Wang Xifeng miscarried a fully formed male fetus. Then, Madam Wang authorized Tan Chun, Li Wan, and Xue Baochai to start managing the household.
With three people managing the household, Tan Chun became the one who took the lead. Was it really appropriate for Lady Wang to arrange for Xue Baochai to manage the household?
If Lady Wang didn't have any intention of marrying Xue Baochai to Jia Baoyu, she certainly wouldn't have arranged it this way.
Next, Liu Saozi, a kitchen servant in Rongguo Mansion, was criticized for her discriminatory treatment of others. This led to a major disturbance caused by Siqi, who was close to Jia Yingchun. In addition, the other kitchen staff disliked Liu Saozi and took the opportunity to seize on Liu Saozi's daughter, Liu Wu'er, who happened to have rose dew. Liu Wu'er was caught red-handed.
Lin Daiyu frowned upon hearing this. Had the Rongguo Mansion become so corrupt? Even the main kitchen was in turmoil. If it were the Lin family, they would have sold them all off.
In April, Jia Jing from the Ningguo Mansion passed away, and the Lin family sent servants to attend the funeral.
Before September even arrived, Consort Zhen, the Emperor Emeritus's most beloved concubine, passed away. Now, with the country in mourning, Lin Daiyu and Wei Chi's wedding had to be postponed, since no one dared to hold a wedding in front of the Emperor Emeritus or the Emperor.
Lin Daiyu has been depressed for a long time. What was something she had been looking forward to has become uncertain, and no one would be happy about that.
In May, Wang Xifeng discovered that Jia Lian had secretly married You Erjie. By this time, Wang Xifeng no longer had the authority to manage the household, and the people under her gradually stopped taking her seriously.
Wang Xifeng caused a great uproar at Ningguo Mansion. She deliberately appeared weak by wearing plain clothes and took the initiative to point out that Jia Lian's secret marriage to You Erjie was against the rules of national and family mourning, leaving You Shi and Jia Rong speechless.
While the Rongguo Mansion was in turmoil, the Lin family was thriving.
It is worth mentioning that Lin Jiyu has been promoted to the rank of sixth-grade compiler in the Hanlin Academy, the same rank as the top scholar Xu Yingshi. Perhaps for this reason, Xu Yingshi has been treating Lin Jiyu with contempt lately, and has even led other Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) to ostracize him.
Wei Chi stayed in the Hanlin Academy and passed the examination to become a probationary official, successfully taking up a position in the Hanlin Academy. Some middle-aged tribute students, who were already old, rarely spent time in the Hanlin Academy to gain seniority, and went directly to serve as officials of the eighth rank, becoming county magistrates in various counties.
Although Lin Jiyu was isolated, there were still a few people like Wei Chi who talked to her.
Lin Jiyu was completely unconcerned about Xu Yingshi's childish behavior. The Emperor had already summoned him personally and discussed the reform with him. With his extraordinary perception, Lin Jiyu sensed that the Emperor was temporarily satisfied with him.
This spring, the Emperor Emeritus's health deteriorated further, and it's unclear how many more years he can hold on; it's estimated to be only one or two years.
Lin Jiyu only dared to sigh in her heart, "That's the bad thing about ancient times. Everything depends on the powerful and wealthy." After a busy day, Lin Jiyu returned to the Lin residence.
Grandmother Jia had repeatedly declined invitations from the Rongguo Mansion to celebrate her 80th birthday, and Lin Ruhai was finding it difficult to refuse. This time, Lin Ruhai brought Lin Jiyu and Lin Daiyu to the banquet.
Having not visited Rongguo Mansion for a long time, I found it even more dilapidated, unable to maintain even the facade of harmony. Madam Xing began vying for power with Madam Wang.
Previously, Wang Xifeng was in charge of the household affairs. She was still a member of the first wife's family and was nominally the head of the household affairs. Now that Wang Xifeng has fallen, Tan Chun, Li Wan, and Xue Baochai are in charge of the household affairs. Aren't they all members of the second wife's family?
Lin Ruhai and Lin Jiyu were received by Jia Zheng and Jia Lian. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, Jia Zheng would be taking up an official post outside the capital on the 20th of August. This time, Jia Zheng specially consulted Lin Ruhai about his experience in taking up an official post outside the capital.
Lin Jiyu and Jia Lian were chatting happily, but Jia She didn't show up; he was probably playing around with Jia Zhen and Jia Rong.
Lin Jiyu didn't see Jia Baoyu, guessing that Jia Baoyu was with the women again.
One after another, maids came in and set out the food. Lin Daiyu, being a meticulous person, noticed that although this year's Mid-Autumn Festival was lively, everyone had their own little thoughts. Madam You from Ningguo Mansion, Madam Xing, Madam Wang, Wang Xifeng, and others from Rongguo Mansion were all outwardly happy.
Lin Daiyu ate a dull and tasteless banquet, while only Jia Baoyu was happy to see his sister Lin.
When they returned to the Lin family, Lin Daiyu witnessed a commotion. It turned out that Wang Xifeng was trying to deal with an old woman, but unexpectedly, she was scolded by Madam Xing. Madam You, acting as a peacemaker, also scolded Wang Xifeng, making Wang Xifeng's authority even less effective.
Not long after Lin Daiyu returned to the Lin family, another major event occurred in the Rongguo Mansion: several old women were running a gambling den.
Grandmother Jia knew the gravity of the situation; gambling was no small matter and could easily lead to a loss of control over the household. She demanded a thorough investigation.
When Grandmother Jia took charge, no one dared to be negligent. Before long, the ringleaders of the gambling were found: one was the in-law of Lin Zhixiao's two aunts, another was the sister of Liu's wife in the garden kitchen, and the third was the wet nurse of the second young lady.
Before one matter was resolved, another arose. Madam Xing discovered obscene items in the Grand View Garden. She saw this as the perfect opportunity to strike at the second wife's family and immediately went to Rongxi Hall to find Madam Wang. She displayed her power and left gracefully, leaving Madam Wang with a dark expression.
Of course, Madam Wang was not satisfied. As the legitimate daughter of the Wang family, she had always been the one to suffer mistreatment since childhood. How could it be her turn to suffer mistreatment?