The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 211 The Melancholy Lin Daiyu

Tu Chengyu said, "Mr. Quan's first method is brilliant, so his second method must also be extraordinary. Please tell me quickly."

Seeing Tu Chengyu's eagerness, Quan Wenwei immediately added:
"The student's second method is also quite simple. The prince only needs to go outside, pretend that he has just heard the news, and then vent his anger in public. Then he can use this as a reason to go to the palace to file a complaint."

This second method is actually connected to the first one.

Tu Chengyu seemed quite satisfied with the second method, and said:

"Let's do as Mr. Quan says. When things get out of hand, let's see what other tricks they have up their sleeves."

Upon hearing Tu Chengyu's words, Quan Wenwei knew that Tu Chengyu had grasped the essence of his method, and he also chimed in with a comment.

"Your Highness is wise. Those who are plotting behind the scenes must also be watching Your Highness's reaction. As long as Your Highness makes a fuss, they will have something to worry about and will stop scheming against Your Highness."

Moreover, since the prince has made such a big fuss this time, they will know that the prince is not someone to be trifled with, and they will not dare to be so reckless in plotting against him in the future.

As they talked, they refined the two methods further.

After everything was settled, Quan Wenwei left the study and asked someone outside to come in and bring in tea.

Taking advantage of this moment, Xiao Xuanzi came in and reported:

"Your Highness, Miss Lin just sent someone to deliver a message saying that they are already waiting on Qianmen Street and request that Your Highness come and meet them."

Upon hearing Xiao Xuanzi's report, Tu Chengyu remembered that today, in addition to wanting to conduct a preliminary investigation into Geng Huchen's matter, he also planned to take Lin Daiyu on a tour of the capital.

When he left the palace, he immediately sent someone to the Jia family to invite Lin Daiyu.

His original plan was to have a brief chat with Quan Wenwei at the courtyard, and then leave after Lin Daiyu arrived.

Unexpectedly, upon arrival, they discovered a new situation, and the two became so engrossed in their conversation that they completely forgot about the matter.

Tu Chengyu asked, "How long has it been since Miss Lin sent the people over?"

Xiao Xuanzi said, "Your Highness, it wasn't long. I saw that Your Highness was busy, so I sent someone to tell Miss Lin to wait for them on Qianmen Street."

Tu Chengyu was quite satisfied with how Xiao Xuanzi was dealt with, but he couldn't keep others waiting any longer.

So he said, "Since Miss Lin is already waiting, let's not waste any more time."

With that, Tu Chengyu got up and walked outside.

Just then, Quan Wenwei entered with a servant carrying tea. Seeing Tu Chengyu walking out, he asked, quite puzzled:

"Your Highness, are you leaving?"

Tu Chengyu nodded and said, "I have other matters to attend to later, so I will take my leave now. I will keep in mind what you said today."

As the master, Tu Chengyu could do whatever he wanted without having to explain to Quan Wenwei.

However, Tu Chengyu respected Quan Wenwei's wishes and casually offered a couple of explanations.

Since Tu Chengyu was leaving, Quan Wenwei didn't say anything and turned around to follow Tu Chengyu toward the door.

Upon arriving at the main gate, Tu Chengyu's entourage, along with his bodyguard Lao Yao and the others, had already changed their clothes and were waiting at the gate.

So without saying a word, Tu Chengyu greeted Quan Wenwei and got into the carriage to set off.

Just as Tu Chengyu settled into the carriage, before he could give the order to depart...

Quan Wenwei walked up to the carriage in a few steps and asked:
"Your Highness, aren't you returning to the palace?"

Generally speaking, Quan Wenwei cannot inquire about Tu Chengyu's whereabouts.

Tu Chengyu knew Quan Wenwei well and knew that he was not such a tactless person. Since he asked, there must be another reason.

So Tu Chengyu said, "It's still early today, I'm not in a hurry to return to the palace, I'd like to wander around the capital."

After listening, Quan Wenwei lowered his voice and said, "Since Your Highness is not in a hurry to return to the palace, you can find an opportunity to use the second method. This matter should be done sooner rather than later."

With Wei Yi's reminder, Tu Chengyu was also somewhat tempted.

This was precisely the time when rumors were rampant, and they could probably be heard in many places, making it a perfect opportunity to launch an attack.

Moreover, this is a rare opportunity. If we don't seize it today, we don't know when we'll have another chance after we return to the palace.

However, with Lin Daiyu here today, if I were to do this myself, wouldn't it spoil the fun of shopping?

After much deliberation, Tu Chengyu still hadn't made up his mind.

Finally, I thought, why think so much? If I run into them today, I'll just take the initiative and make a scene. If I don't, then so be it.

Having made up his mind, Tu Chengyu said to Quan Wenwei, "I understand, and I will keep an eye on it."

Quan Wenwei's original intention was to give Tu Chengyu a reminder, and now that he saw that Tu Chengyu knew, he immediately withdrew.

Then Tu Chengyu instructed Xiao Xuanzi to have everyone set off immediately.

The small courtyard where Tu Chengyu lived was not too far from Qianmen Street; it only took a quarter of an hour by carriage to get there.

When Tu Chengyu and the others arrived, Lin Daiyu's carriage was waiting in a nearby alley.

After the two sides meet, they will first talk about today's itinerary.

When everyone got off the carriage, Tu Chengyu noticed that there were actually quite a lot of people here today.

Besides Lin Daiyu and Jia Tanchun, Xue Baochai and another girl who was even younger, about five or six years old, also came with them.

Tu Chengyu invited Lin Daiyu out for a stroll because he was worried that she would be bored staying in the Jia family's house every day since it was her first time in the capital, so he wanted her to come out and relax.

So he wouldn't mind having two extra people.

Moreover, Xue Baochai, whom he had met on the way back to the capital, was not a stranger to him.

The only person Tu Chengyu didn't recognize was the little girl. Fortunately, when they met and exchanged greetings, Jia Tanchun introduced her to Tu Chengyu.

Only after she introduced herself did Tu Chengyu realize that the little girl standing in front of him was actually Jia Xichun.

The famous Fourth Sister in Dream of the Red Chamber.

Upon encountering such a celebrity, Tu Chengyu couldn't help but take a second look.

Unexpectedly, Jia Xichun, despite her young age, was quite bold. When Tu Chengyu looked at her, she didn't flinch and openly sized him up as well.

After exchanging greetings, the two sides discussed their upcoming itinerary.

However, this discussion was somewhat flawed, because Jia Tanchun did most of the talking during the discussion.

Because Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai, both from Jiangnan, had no idea what was worth seeing in the capital.

Although Tu Chengyu was a native of the capital, he had never liked socializing and spent most of his time hiding in the Prince An's mansion, so he knew very little about the fun places in the capital.

Therefore, we can only let Jia Tanchun, who knows the situation well, speak for herself.

Fortunately, Jia Tanchun already knew about Tu Chengyu's plan to take Lin Daiyu on a trip and had made plans in advance.

So now, everything is arranged clearly and quickly.

The others were very satisfied with Jia Tanchun's arrangements, so today's itinerary would proceed according to her plan.

After discussing it, everyone got back into the car and headed towards their first destination. Jia Tanchun's first choice was a jewelry shop.

It's not that they're going to buy jewelry, but as girls, they're always interested in these things.

So I wanted to take this opportunity to see what jewelry in Beijing looked like, to broaden my horizons and have something new to talk about with my girlfriends in the future.

After wandering around for a while, led by the servants of the Jia family, they soon arrived at a bustling street.

There is a jewelry shop at the street corner.

After everyone got off the bus, Jia Tanchun led them inside as if she knew the way well.

As they walked, he said, "This shop belongs to our household. Besides selling to outsiders, it also supplies jewelry to our household."

Upon hearing Jia Tanchun's words, Lin Daiyu, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up and asked:

"Third sister, how long has this shop been standing?"

Jia Tanchun casually replied, "I don't know how long it has been. It is said that the business was set up by the old lady when she was young, so it has been at least thirty or forty years now."

After listening, Lin Daiyu asked again, "So, all the jewelry for the women in the mansion was sent from here?"

Jia Tanchun shook her head and said, "No, about half of them were delivered from here."

Upon hearing this, Lin Daiyu fell silent.

As an observer, Tu Chengyu keenly noticed that Lin Daiyu seemed somewhat agitated during the conversation.

Could it be that this jewelry shop reminded Lin Daiyu of something?

With this discovery, Tu Chengyu paid even more attention to Lin Daiyu.

Since this is a business owned by the Jia family, it should be much more convenient with the presence of Jia Tanchun and Jia Xichun, two young ladies of the Jia family.

Sure enough, as soon as everyone entered, the shopkeeper, who had been in the backyard, rushed out to pay his respects after hearing the news.

Because of Tu Chengyu's presence, it's not appropriate to reveal one's identity.

Therefore, Jia Tanchun only vaguely mentioned that she came to see the jewelry, without introducing everyone's identities.

The shopkeeper was a sensible man. Seeing this, he didn't ask any questions, but simply stood by silently, waiting to be summoned at any time.

Since Jia Tanchun arranged today's itinerary, and it's a business transaction for the Jia family.

Jia Tanchun then greeted everyone like a hostess:

"This is our own shop, so everyone can relax. You can look at whatever you want, and if you find something you like, just ask the shopkeeper for it without paying."

Before we came, the Old Madam and Mother had instructed us that the jewelry everyone had their eyes on today was a gift from the two elders.

As soon as Jia Tanchun finished speaking, the shopkeeper standing to the side also chimed in.

"Your household has already sent someone to say so, so please feel free to choose whatever you like."

Upon hearing this, everyone separated and visited various jewelry pieces in several rooms.

As for those like Tu Chengyu who don't look at jewelry, they can just sit aside and wait.

Throughout this process, Tu Chengyu kept a close eye on Lin Daiyu's expression.

Since entering the jewelry shop, Lin Daiyu had a look of both anxiety and sadness on her face.

Even when Jia Tanchun announced the good news just now, she listened with a furrowed brow.

While Tu Chengyu was quietly looking around, Lin Daiyu, accompanied by two maids, also began examining the jewelry from one piece to another.

Tu Chengyu's gaze naturally followed Lin Daiyu's figure, circling around her several times.

When Lin Daiyu walked to a jewelry box not far from Tu Chengyu, Tu Chengyu inadvertently noticed that Lin Daiyu's eyes widened and a hint of joy appeared on her face.

Tu Chengyu wondered if she had found jewelry she liked.
Sure enough, just as Tu Chengyu was thinking this, he heard Lin Daiyu say to the servant not far away:

"Take out this piece of jewelry."

The shop assistants naturally knew that the lady of the house had come today, so they dared not neglect her in the slightest.

Upon hearing Lin Daiyu's words, he walked over in a few steps and, following Lin Daiyu's instructions, took out a set of jewelry from the box inside.

Lin Daiyu took the set of jewelry from the servant and examined it over and over, constantly stroking it with her hands, her eyes fixed on the jewelry as if it were an extension of herself.

Her expression also seemed very abnormal, fluctuating between joy and sadness.

Seeing her like this, everyone knows she really likes this set of jewelry, and not just a little bit.

While everyone else was still choosing, she had already picked out what she liked.

Upon seeing this, the shopkeeper naturally went over to take a look himself.

Lin Daiyu held the jewelry and looked at it for a while, her emotions gradually calming down.

She looked up at the shopkeeper and said:
How many pieces of jewelry like this do you have left in the store?

The question startled the shopkeeper, and even Tu Chengyu was momentarily confused.

Is this a case of liking something too much and wanting to take all the same jewelry?
Does liking something mean possessing it exclusively? Was Lin Daiyu that kind of person?
Tu Chengyu was a little unsure for a moment.

The shopkeeper was initially stunned, but quickly recovered.

The immediate reply was: "This is the only set of jewelry like this left in the store."

Hearing his words, Lin Daiyu clearly didn't believe him, but she remained silent.

Upon seeing this, the shopkeeper explained, "This piece of jewelry was made by my aunt herself before she got married. There were only two sets in total. My aunt took one set to Jiangnan with her, and the other set was left in the shop."

This is the Jia family's shop, located in Jiangnan.

Therefore, the "aunt" mentioned by the shopkeeper is very likely Lin Daiyu's mother, Jia Min.

If that's the case, then Tu Chengyu can understand why Lin Daiyu was so emotional when she saw this set of jewelry.

It is very likely that Lin Daiyu also knew that there were pieces of jewelry left by her mother here.

Lin Daiyu was a sensitive person, and seeing these objects reminded her of him, how could she not be emotionally agitated?

After figuring out the reason for Lin Daiyu's emotional outburst, Tu Chengyu couldn't help but feel a little annoyed.

My mother-in-law, whom I've never met, probably isn't a talented person when it comes to jewelry design.

The jewelry she made before her marriage still hasn't been sold.

It's worth noting that Jia Min has been married for quite some time.

Therefore, it is clear that no one would be interested in her jewelry set.

Just as Tu Chengyu was internally complaining, Jia Tanchun and the others, who had gone elsewhere, heard about the story behind the jewelry and all gathered around to admire it.

(End of this chapter)