Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 288 Lin Ruhai: Shameless person!
Yangzhou Salt Inspectorate,
Early in the morning, in the inner hall, two concubines were holding a beautifully bound book and reading it with great interest.

"It's really interesting that something like this actually happened. It's just a pity that I didn't get to see the girl composing poetry with my own eyes."

Aunt Bai shook her head slightly and sighed.

Aunt Zhou answered from the side, "Is this the point? The point is that Marquis Anjing even brought the girl to the poetry competition and helped her win the first prize, making her famous in Jiangnan. Since the beginning of literary competitions in Jiangnan, there has never been a precedent for a woman winning the first prize. Marquis Anjing really dotes on the girl, they are so loving."

Aunt Bai also nodded, agreeing with Aunt Zhou's opinion, "Marquis Anjing treats the young lady very well, no wonder the young lady doesn't want to come back. They are a pair, a talented man and a beautiful woman, it's really a beautiful story. The master still wants to separate the two, I don't think there is a chance."

Aunt Zhou replied, "Marquis Anjing is so outstanding, he is a good husband that you can't find even with a lantern. Marriage is good for Master's career, why would they separate? Master just can't swallow this breath in his heart. After all, the girl has only lived at home for six years, and Grandma usually took care of her most. Now she has lived in Marquis Anjing's mansion for six years, and even the marriage has been bypassed by Master. Where does he put Master?"

"What are you looking at?"

Lin Ruhai returned from outside exhausted. His work has not been easy recently.

Suzhou suffered a disaster this year, and taxation was certainly affected. The plan to replace rice with mulberry trees failed, and failed to replenish the national treasury. Instead, it caused losses. The gap must be made up from other places.

Whenever this happens, the most prosperous salt industry will certainly be the first to be affected.

Lin Ruhai, who had served as an official in Lianghuai for many years, still had some political sense. While he was going back and forth to crack down on smuggled salt these days, he also visited the government-run salt fields to see whether the majority of salt permits were still in the form of open accounts, so as to avoid being deceived by the people below at this critical juncture.

Five days after leaving the house, Yue Ling should have arrived in Suzhou, so Lin Ruhai was looking forward to receiving a letter from Lin Daiyu when he returned home, telling her about her recent situation.

But as soon as I entered the door, I saw two aunts holding a beautifully bound book, reading together and discussing something in whispers.

Normally, neither of them were good at studying, but today they were not doing needlework but reading in class. It was really strange. Lin Ruhai thought they had come to their senses.

As a third place winner in the imperial examination, Lin Ruhai naturally also loved poetry and songs, but there was Jia Min, the eldest daughter of the Jia family, who was also talented and could play the zither and harp in harmony with him.

These concubines all came from poor backgrounds and could only read a few words, so Lin Ruhai had not discussed literature with anyone for some time. But today, the two of them had changed their minds for their own preferences, and Lin Ruhai was naturally happy.

Seeing that it was the master who had returned, the two concubines were about to put down the books and come to serve him, but they heard Lin Ruhai say, "You guys continue reading. It's good to read more books every day."

The two aunts looked at each other, curled their lips and smiled secretly.

Then, Lin Ruhai took off his official robe, washed his face with the basin in front of the door, and walked inside.

While wiping his hands, he asked, "What book are you reading? The Book of Songs or Li Sao?"

Aunt Bai stopped smiling and shook her head, "Neither."

"neither?"

Lin Ruhai looked at the thin volume and thought it didn't look like the Complete Tang Poems or other books. He walked over curiously and asked, "Neither? Then what are you reading?"

The two concubines gave up their seats, led Lin Ruhai to the middle, and then stood on both sides.

He handed the beautifully bound book to Lin Ruhai and let him read it alone.

"This is a collection of poems from the Canglang Elegant Gathering. Sir, can you guess who won the first place in poetry?"

Lin Ruhai looked at the cover but didn't rush to open it. He frowned and said, "So this is the kind of book. People today write poems in imitation of ancient times, using only flowery words and piling up words without getting the meaning. It's hard to even get a good line. If you are really interested in poetry, you might as well read the Complete Tang Poems."

"As for this champion of poetry, it is just an empty title. Xu Yaozu of the Xu family has hosted this meeting for many years, hoping that his son will have some fame in the literary world one day, so as to help him make a career in the officialdom in the future. I believe that this champion of poetry must be his son."

"These people are hateful. A good poetry gathering has to become a foil for their fame."

Lin Ruhai shook his head and sighed. He didn't care at all about the fear others had for such aristocratic family. He was just dissatisfied with the fact that they could arbitrarily fabricate and play with the elegant gathering of scholars.

Aunt Zhou chuckled and shook her head, "No, Master guessed wrong."

"Oh?"

When Lin Ruhai heard that his guess was wrong, his expression changed and he felt a little surprised.

"Could it be that Xu Yaozu has worked hard for decades and still wants to make wedding clothes for others? That would be even more stupid of him."

Lin Ruhai opened the title page with great interest and saw two rows of large characters on the front, "According to the order of Marquis Anjing, thirty-two excellent poems from the Canglang Yahui are collected."

"Could it be that they chose the top poet for Yue Ling in order to curry favor with him?"

Lin Ruhai shook his head, feeling that this group of people was quite boring.

When I turned to the first page, I saw a Yuefu poem called "Autumn Window, Wind and Rain Evening".

Lin Ruhai had some understanding of Yue Ling's talents, and he realized that his judgment was wrong again.

Yuefu poems are difficult to write. "Spring River Moon Night" is a famous piece of poetry throughout the ages. Who would dare to write this style and rhythm in a place where literati gather?

Not to mention that this person is arrogant, he is just asking for trouble.

But when Lin Ruhai read it through, he found that most of the words used in the poem were about boudoir, which outlined the image of a miserable woman who was sad about the passing of spring and autumn. She was more like Liu Sanbian, which was quite wonderful.

Lin Ruhai could not help nodding his head and praised, "This poem is good, and it deserves the title of the best poet. Recently, many talented people from Jiangnan have come to visit the Salt Inspectorate, but most of them are here to ask about classics, history, and literature. It really lacks the spirit of talent and talent. I don't see who can write such a poem."

"I don't know who wrote this. I don't know anyone with this talent."

Aunt Bai smiled and said, "Yes, we know each other. Master, you may want to look at the back."

Aunt Bai's words further aroused Lin Ruhai's interest. He turned to the notes after the poem and saw that the author of the poem was named "daughter of Lin Ruhai, the Imperial Censor of Lianghuai Salt Administration."

Perhaps because it was written by a woman, the author's name was deliberately not revealed on the first page. The lady also didn't want her name to be known by outsiders, so she could only sign it like this.

Most people who got this book, like Lin Ruhai, were first amazed at the exquisite choice of words and allusions in the poems, and then they were even more amazed when they saw that it was written by a woman.

This is the effect that this book of poetry intentionally creates.

The long-standing Canglang Gathering, now that it has a female poet champion, has created such a big gimmick. The Canglang Gathering, which has a high reputation to begin with, and its events have long been widely circulated in Suzhou City.

Lin Ruhai's heart was also filled with excitement and he was happy for his daughter.

But in addition to being excited, he couldn't help but frown, "Why is Yu'er at that elegant party?"

This matter is also written in the notes later.

"The daughter of Imperial Censor Lin and Marquis An Jing attended the meeting together. They were always together, very affectionate, and they wrote poems together for the meeting, which was the best among all the poets. This was the first good story at the meeting."

"The daughter of Imperial Censor Lin accompanied Marquis An Jing from the capital to Suzhou. They were deeply attached to each other after a distance of 3,000 miles. When they passed by Yangzhou, they passed by their home without entering. They followed Marquis An Jing to Suzhou to provide disaster relief and stabilize the people's hearts."

"With such a virtuous wife, Marquis An Jing will surely be able to change the customs of Suzhou. Please read the poem written by Marquis An Jing below, "Let Suzhou write an inscription for Canglang Pavilion!"

Lin Ruhai frowned, with a frown on his face, and held the poetry book in both hands. If the poetry book had not been made of fine paper, it would have been torn up by Lin Ruhai by now.

"Good, good, good, what a wonderful couple, a loving couple. Yue Ling, you did a good thing. It would have been fine if His Majesty had granted the marriage, and few people knew about it, but you made such a big fuss about it, and everyone in Jiangnan knew about it. Do you want to make it a fait accompli?"

Lin Ruhai was so angry that his mouth twitched. He slammed the table and stood up, saying, "Come here, prepare the boat. I want to go to Suzhou!"

The two concubines hurriedly pulled Lin Ruhai back, offered him tea and comforted him, "Master, don't worry. The situation in Suzhou has just stabilized, and you have a lot of official duties. You can't go and call for punishment just for your own selfish desires."

"And as the most trusted minister of His Majesty, Marquis Anjing must have important things to do in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. How could he only care about this love between children?"

After these two sentences, Lin Ruhai's breathing became a little more stable. Aunt Bai thought it was effective, so she continued to comfort him, "Master, think about it carefully. You appreciated Marquis An Jing and recommended him to His Majesty. Wasn't it because you believed that he was the same kind of person as you?"

Lin Ruhai glared and said, "I am the same as him? I am not as shameless as him?! I sent an invitation to him, and he didn't come, which was fine, but he first asked Yu'er to write a letter of resignation on his behalf, and then publicized it with great fanfare. Who do you think I am?"

Aunt Bai rubbed her head feeling quite stressed, and motioned Aunt Zhou to massage Lin Ruhai's shoulders, and then said, "It's not about this aspect. When it comes to being an official, Marquis Anjing is an upright person, and he must put official duties first. Such a small matter as an elegant gathering must not be done by him. It must be a fabrication made up by his subordinates."

Lin Ruhai took a sip of tea and fell into deep thought.

Han Da, the steward of the Lin residence, heard the noise and hurried to the hall, but as soon as he entered the door, he saw two concubines serving him and constantly making gestures to him, so he retreated again.

Lin Ruhai suddenly said, "Wait a minute."

Han Da came back into the hall and said, "Master, please give your orders."

Lin Ruhai asked, "When will the next sailing be to crack down on smuggled salt?" Han Da responded, "The master has just returned, so why not take a rest? As for cracking down on smuggled salt, Captain He will lead the troops out this afternoon."

Lin Ruhai put the teacup on the table and said coldly, "I'll go in the afternoon too. Take a rest? The more you rest, the angrier you'll get."

"I want to see how Yue Ling explains this mess when he gets here."

Aunt Zhou comforted him from behind, "Master, please don't make it too embarrassing. After all, the young lady and Marquis Anjing have lived together for a long time, and their friendship must be deep. If you make a scene, it will be embarrassing for the young lady."

Lin Ruhai snorted coldly and said, "It depends on whether she sides with me, her biological father, or with that shameless guy!"

……

Beijing, Prime Minister's Mansion,

A sedan chair hurriedly drove into the corner gate, and the Minister of Revenue Zhao Gongjin walked out of it and went straight into the study.

The butler of the Prime Minister's Mansion accompanied him, "Lord Zhao, my master has been suffering from a cold recently and is feeling unwell. The imperial physician said that he is old and needs to rest more and not be disturbed by outsiders."

Zhao Gongjin said anxiously: "If it weren't for the urgent situation, I wouldn't come to bother Prime Minister An!"

The housekeeper had nothing to say, so he had to follow behind Zhao Gongjin and went to the study with him.

In the study, refreshing incense was lit. An Jingzhong was wrapped in a blanket and bent over the desk, patiently looking through the homework of his children, and making a few comments from time to time.

Zhao Gongjin pushed the door open and walked in. He stepped over the gate and lost his arrogance as he had just done with the official. He knelt on the ground and said, "Teacher, I am guilty."

An Jingzhong did not shift his gaze downward at all, but waved his hand and let the anxious housekeeper go out first.

An Jingzhong, who was nearly 80 years old, looked a little frail. He spoke in a hoarse voice, "If I am right, you wouldn't have come."

Zhao Gongjin pondered for a while before he spoke the second sentence, "Teacher, something went wrong with the rice-to-mulberry conversion program that I was in charge of."

An Jingzhong frowned, put down the paper and pen in his hand, looked at Zhao Gongjin who was kneeling below for the first time, and asked: "Hasn't this matter been discussed before? When the "Thousand Miles of Starving Corpses" was presented, I asked you to restrain yourself. Now that Yue Ling has arrived in Suzhou, what else can happen?"

Zhao Gongjin cried and said, "I sent a message asking them not to do it again. But they were blinded by greed and insisted on carrying it out, and even did the stupid thing of destroying the dike and flooding the fields!"

"Damage and flooding of fields?"

An Jingzhong uttered these four words and his eyes suddenly widened. A look of fear appeared on his old face. He gradually leaned back, leaned on the back of the chair, and gasped heavily.

Zhao Gongjin was startled by this scene. He hurried forward and handed the water to An Jingzhong, supporting him and saying, "Prime Minister An, Prime Minister An, take care of yourself. Don't worry, don't worry."

An Jingzhong's body trembled slightly, and it took him a long time to come back to his senses. He sighed and said, "No hurry? Are you going to poke a hole in the sky before passing the news up?!"

Zhao Gongjin also had a bitter look on his face. "Your Majesty is partial to the New Party. They want to accomplish something and help the court to win your Majesty's trust, so they have to work in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. They have good intentions. I didn't mean to hide it from you, but I was afraid that you were too worried because you were old."

An Jingzhong closed his eyes and took a deep breath, unwilling to pay any more attention to Zhao Gongjin. He asked calmly, "Where is the letter? Where is it?"

Zhao Gongjin immediately took out the letter from his arms and handed it over.

An Jingzhong spread the letter on the table and bent over to glance at it.

Zhao Gongjin did not forget to explain: "Now Hangzhou's reforms have achieved some results, and His Majesty has praised it in the court. This is our opportunity. But Zhu Huailin suddenly appeared in Suzhou and insisted on opposing this. Jiangsu and Zhejiang are our hometowns. It is the greatest achievement to accomplish things here. The palace is also watching."

"Nothing can be impossible as long as we speak with one voice. They wanted to use the excuse that the riverbank was out of repair to flood the fields and turn them into mulberry trees, but who knew that there was another Cao Gang helping with disaster relief and coming out to disrupt the situation. They were right in terms of justice, and there was no way to control them."

"The rice-to-mulberry conversion project cannot be pushed forward. Now Marquis An Jing has come to Suzhou to investigate. They are in imminent danger."

An Jingzhong looked at this disciple of many years, frowned and asked: "They are far away from the court and can't understand it, don't you understand it either? Your Majesty is different from the late emperor. Your Majesty has his own standards for doing things. He wants to be an honest and capable minister."

"It is no longer the time for the previous dynasty to only seek results. Even if the ending is good, who can have a good ending when the case files are opened in the future?"

"This..." Zhao Gongjin was speechless for a moment, not knowing what to do, and repeated: "The New Party presided over the land investigation and offended many people inside and outside the court. If we succeed in replacing rice with mulberry trees now, a large number of people will turn to support us."

"Jiangsu and Zhejiang are our hometowns where we have run our business for generations. We cannot lose them, teacher."

An Jingzhong glared and asked, "Do you know about the dike destruction and flooding of the fields?"

Zhao Gongjin nodded and said truthfully: "I know."

"Idiot!" An Jingzhong suddenly said angrily, "From now on, you don't know. Do you understand?"

Zhao Gongjin looked at An Jingzhong in astonishment, "Teacher, what about them?"

"Let them fend for themselves. No one can protect them."

An Jingzhong stood up with his hands behind his back and said, "Go ahead and make trouble. I don't have many years left to live. Let's see how long you can make trouble."

After An Jingzhong left, Zhao Gongjin still stood there, unable to come back to his senses for a long time.

Once the incident happened in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, the major cases of destroying dikes and flooding fields and murdering the prefect would be exposed. This huge vortex in Jiangsu and Zhejiang would be able to wipe out the conservative party remaining in Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

Moreover, Jiangsu and Zhejiang are their hometowns, and such things are absolutely intolerable.

If this happens, the Conservative Party will completely lose power in Jiangsu and Zhejiang and will no longer be able to compete with the New Party.

If they lose the overall situation, given the current deficit in the national treasury, Emperor Longyou might forget the old friendship and turn his sword against the old party members.

After all, the truly profitable business is house raiding.

Zhao Gongjin's feet trembled slightly. Just as he was about to walk out the door, he circled two words deeply with a red pen on the children's homework that the teacher had just marked on the table.

As a successful candidate in the imperial examination, Zhao Gongjin had a very good memory. When he came to support his teacher just now, there was no ring on the table.

"it works?"

Zhao Gongjin pondered for a moment and seemed to understand something.

……

Suzhou Prefecture, Fengqiao Posthouse,
After a good night's rest, Yue Ling was dressed neatly while surrounded by the little girls.

The girls all made way. Lin Daiyu came to Yue Ling and straightened his collar before saying with a smile, "Brother Yue, please go and do your work. You can't just play with us all day. There are people in Suzhou City waiting for you to come and do justice!"

Yue Ling rubbed Lin Daiyu's head. She was so well-behaved that it really warmed his heart.

"Okay, once this place is taken care of, I will take you out for a walk."

"It's a word."

Lin Daiyu raised her hand and habitually wanted to hook her fingers with Yue Ling, but she couldn't do this intimate gesture in front of so many young girls.

After all, she had just talked about it with someone else the night before, so how could she go back on her word? In front of others, she had to remember to be self-disciplined.

Lin Daiyu put her hands behind her back, still smiling and looking at Yue Ling.

"By the way, when you get to Suzhou, you should write a letter home. Tell Lord Lin that although you have been tired from the journey, you are in good health, so that he won't worry."

Lin Daiyu nodded slightly, "Okay, I'll listen to Brother Yue."

Yue Ling turned and left, took the horse prepared by the servant, and rode away.

Lin Daiyu stood in the courtyard, looking at Yue Ling's departing back, and sighed secretly.

"Miss, do you want to write a letter? I'm going to grind ink." Xueyan tilted her head and looked at her.

Only when she could no longer see Yue Ling's back did Lin Daiyu curl her lips and reply, "It's just a letter. There's no rush."

Then he rubbed his lower abdomen and said, "I feel a little uncomfortable again. Let me go back and rest first..."

(End of this chapter)