Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 294 She is also part of the play between you and me

The yard of Fengqiao Inn was not big, and the little girls stayed in their rooms all day, so there was not much fun.

Apart from doing needlework, planting flowers, applying rouge and powder, and playing cards together, the only things they could do on weekdays were to find various topics to chat about.

As a result, what happened in the room would soon be known to everyone of them, and there would be no secrets at all.

Qin Keqing and others also learned from Zijuan and Xueyan that Yue Ling went to see Lin Daiyu early this morning.

Of course, Yue Ling went to visit Lin Daiyu and amused her, not because of any improper thoughts. It was just that as they spent more time together, Lin Daiyu became dependent on him, and he also became somewhat dependent on Lin Daiyu.

In the old days, no matter what difficulties he encountered, he would drink Lin Daiyu's tea and sit with her. Even if they didn't say a word, his heart would be much calmer, which would be more conducive to his thinking.

Now, if I replenish Lin Daiyu's energy before going out, I will feel refreshed.

However, in the mouths of the little girls, no one knew what it was describing, but Qin Keqing was imitating Lin Daiyu's tone to tease Yue Ling.

Qin Keqing's murmurs rang in his ears, causing Yue Ling to shudder. He quickly dropped his pen and covered her mouth.

Looking outside again, Yue Ling was relieved. Fortunately, there was no one else in the room, and Ruizhu and Zhuzhu were not there.

Then he looked at Qin Keqing and warned her sternly, "Don't mess around. If Sister Lin finds out, will she still let you go?"

It was this sneaky feeling again, which really made Qin Keqing feel uneasy.

Slowly peeling Yue Ling's hand open, he licked his palm gently with his tongue. Yue Ling dodged, and Qin Keqing leaned into his arms and moaned softly, "Then why don't you let Miss Lin know? Or maybe the master doesn't like this title, then...what about Uncle Yue?"

Qin Keqing's eyes were misty, like rippling autumn water. She looked at Yue Ling emotionally, her hands still caressing restlessly.

Qin Keqing laughed again.

"So, Master likes this tune. I can do it too."

Yue Ling swallowed his saliva, his throat moved slightly but he didn't know what to say to cover up his embarrassment. Even without the added effect of the tone, who wouldn't have a normal reaction when a woman as seductive as Qin Keqing fell on him.

Qin Keqing dressed very carefully today. She wore a white gauze gown embroidered with gold patterns, which was as thin as paper. She paired it with an apricot-red satin tube top with a pink base. The hem of her skirt was a pink embroidered long skirt of the same color. The combination of white and pink was really charming.

The flying fairy bun on her head really makes her look like a fairy, but this fairy now has rosy cheeks and red lips, which shows that she is truly in love.

Yue Ling stood up and tried to leave, but Qin Keqing had already held her arms tightly around his waist, making him unable to move.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Yue Ling wanted to get up unconsciously, and at the same time, he winked at Qin Keqing, asking her to tidy up her messy clothes. However, Qin Keqing, like a fox, got under the table without hesitation, and covered her head with Yue Ling's robe to hide her body.

Yue Ling's eyes widened, and he didn't dare to say anything. He just followed her instructions to cover his body and asked outside, "Who?"

"It's me." Zijuan pushed the door open and looked around curiously.

The last time she came to ask Yue Ling if he needed any service, she actually didn't even enter the door. She heard Qin Keqing's sweet voice under the window outside the house. She didn't have the nerve to pay any more attention, so she ran back in a panic.

This time, everything was safe in the room. It seemed that the master had fed her well last night, and Xiangling was not here, so it must be her turn tonight.

Zijuan's confidence was boosted. After all, she had the young lady's permission and had every right to accompany the master. The others were just trying to steal some fish.

However, although Zijuan had offered herself for the emperor's bed before, she was still shy and timid when doing it again, not as unrestrained as Qin Keqing.

He lowered his head and came to Yue Ling's desk, picked up the inkstone, and habitually helped Yue Ling grind ink. He stood there for a long while before asking, "Master, if there is no one to warm the bed tonight, the girl asked me to take care of you here."

Perhaps because she heard that someone was coming to seize her territory, Qin Keqing became more restless.

Yue Ling's body trembled, and the corners of his mouth twitched.

Zijuan looked at the side in confusion and asked hurriedly, "Master, are you feeling unwell today?"

Yue Ling smiled awkwardly and said, "No, I'm not feeling uncomfortable."

Yue Ling cooperated to cover for her, which made Qin Keqing's mouth curl up. This feeling of stealing made her very excited, and only at this time, Yue Ling would let her do what she wanted.

This was the moment when she had the upper hand, and Qin Keqing worked even harder.

Yue Ling's eyelids twitched slightly, and he couldn't help but clench his hands.

Zijuan nodded in relief, then looked at the table and shyly repeated, "Master, you haven't said whether you want me to come or not..."

Qin Keqing showed a small fist under the table and waved it towards Yue Ling, declaring her sovereignty.

Yue Ling quickly covered it with his robe, took a deep breath, and said, "No need to come tonight. I feel a little sleepy after coming back from the training ground. Come back in two days."

Zijuan's expression darkened, but she changed her mind and thought that since Yue Ling promised to come later and he was not annoyed with her, it was still a good thing.

After hearing Yue Ling's words, Zijuan happily put down the inkstone and said, "Well, Master, take a good rest today. If you have anything, just come to us. Master, you have a lot of official duties, so you must take care of yourself."

Zijuan gave a few words of advice obediently and looked at Yue Ling with a smile, but she saw some blush on Yue Ling's neck.

Zijuan took out a handkerchief, took a step closer, and wanted to wipe Yue Ling.

But Yue Ling suddenly stretched out his hand and held her wrist tightly.

Zijuan was a little overwhelmed by Yue Ling's sudden defensiveness, and stammered: "Master, I don't have any other ideas, I just saw some rouge on your neck, and I wanted to wipe it off for you."

Yue Ling suddenly came back to his senses and nodded repeatedly, "Yeah, so that's how it is. I'll do it. I can wipe it myself."

Zijuan nodded shyly. In her eyes, she thought that the master was thinking that she was going to attack him. She couldn't help but think in her heart, "What is the master thinking? I, how can I be so bold? Besides, everything in this room must be done according to the master's wishes. Who dares to force the master?"

Zijuan handed over the handkerchief, but Yue Ling still held her wrist tightly, leaving Zijuan confused again.

Looking at him suspiciously, Zijuan asked, "Master? What's wrong with you? How about I wipe it for you?"

"Wait a moment!" Yue Ling suddenly said, "Wait a moment, soon..."

After taking a deep breath, Yue Ling calmly took Zijuan's handkerchief and wiped it on his neck. He forced a smile and said, "It should be because Keqing came over just now and accidentally rubbed against it. This girl is also a little careless."

Feeling that Qin Keqing was venting her anger again, Yue Ling was afraid that Zijuan might notice something, so he hurriedly said, "You should go back first. Sister Lin is not feeling well, so take care of her first."

Seeing that her wrist had turned red from being pinched by Yue Ling, Zijuan nodded shyly and walked out.

When he heard the door close, Yue Ling finally breathed a sigh of relief. He reached under the table, supported Qin Keqing's head, and pulled it out like a carrot. He frowned and said, "You, you are really becoming more and more unmanly. I must teach you a lesson tonight!"

Qin Keqing swallowed, licked the corners of her mouth, and said with a smile: "Okay, okay, Uncle Yue, please have mercy on me."

Yue Ling: “…Fairy.”

……

Early the next morning,

Xue Baochai returned to the inn first with the information she obtained in Cuihuaxuan.

Strangely, the door to the main hall was not open early in the morning, and Xue Baochai, who was waiting outside, was also confused.

"Miss, I went to ask Ruizhu and Zhuzhu, and they said that the Marquis should have taken a day off today and didn't go to the yamen. But the Marquis rarely takes a day off on weekdays, so he will probably go to the yamen later today."

Xue Baochai nodded and said, "Okay, let's go back and wait for a while."

Just when Xue Baochai was about to leave, the door opened from the inside.

Yue Ling was wearing a tight white dress, but with a few red lipstick marks on her lips that were particularly conspicuous. She yawned and looked outside. Seeing that it was Xue Baochai, Yue Ling turned and asked, "Miss Xue is back?"

Xue Baochai retracted her gaze, lowered her head slightly and nodded, "I got some news outside, and was just thinking of informing the Marquis in the morning."

Hearing that it was serious business, Yue Ling had no intention of delaying. However, the hall was still a little messy. Qin Keqing called "Uncle, Uncle" last night and was severely punished by Yue Ling. She was afraid that she would have to spend the day on the couch again today.

"Well, I'll go back and change my clothes and then talk to you."

Xue Baochai nodded slightly, then led Ying'er and Xiangling back to the west wing.

Ruizhuzhu also came over and walked in with a red face.

Two dull maids stood in front of him. Yue Ling smiled awkwardly and said, "I am sorry to add to your burden. I will leave this room to you to clean up first. Besides, Keqing is still sleeping soundly in bed, so there is no need to wake her up."

Ruizhu and Zhuzhu looked at each other and nodded like chicks pecking at rice. In their hearts, they couldn't help but criticize their own girl, saying that she had no self-control and came here to make trouble every day.

If Lin Daiyu hadn't been in charge of this room, who knows what kind of chaos it would have been. Given the girls' current tempers, they probably wouldn't do anything without telling the two of them, and might even ask them for help.

Ruizhu went to her room with a blushing face to tidy up, and Yue Ling simply put on his coat and sat in Xue Baochai's room.

It was very different from Lin Daiyu's room. Lin Daiyu always kept some precious things with her, such as daisies and paintings hanging on the wall, and many flowers were placed in the room. In addition, there were several boxes of books that she regarded as treasures. However, on the first day of arriving at the inn, the Buddha statue in the room was removed. Yue Ling had never thought that Lin Daiyu, a Buddhist, would do such a thing, which also puzzled him.

The furnishings in Xue Baochai's room are very simple.

Apart from the large floor-to-ceiling screen with floating flowers that separates the inside and outside of the room, there are only the simplest tables and chairs everywhere. There are some books scattered in the bookcase, some bottles and jars against the wall, and pens and ink on the desk, but there are no porcelain decorations.

There was not a trace of green in the room, not even a hint of flowers.

But the fragrance in the room is still very strong, and it hits you as soon as you open the door.

"It's almost the frost season. I don't know if there will be frost on our windows by that day."

Sitting opposite Xue Baochai at the table, Yue Ling started the conversation in a low voice.

Xue Baochai also knew the meaning of Yue Ling's words, which were about the ingredients of Lengxiang Pills. She felt a little warm in her heart and said softly, "Suzhou is located in the south of the Yangtze River, with a warm and humid climate, so it is not easy to frost. But one night before, it was much colder, and we collected a lot of frost and stored it. Now it is enough for a long time."

Yue Ling nodded slightly.

In fact, Xue Baochai's fever has improved a lot, and she hasn't coughed so frequently recently. Perhaps it is true as Yue Ling said, that the lust in her heart is not as strong as before, so she has gotten better?
Now, Xue Baochai seems to be able to let go of everything. Just working peacefully beside Yue Ling is already pretty good.

She had a hunch that as long as she stayed with Yue Ling, she would be able to see the scenery that she had never seen before.

"Yesterday I went to the Xue family's Cuihuaxuan, which is one of the best teahouses in Suzhou. I happened to run into two people discussing the Marquis's affairs in the elegant pavilion."

"Oh? Is there such a thing?"

Xue Baochai nodded and continued, "We don't know the identity of one of them, but one of them is a lieutenant general of Suzhou Guard, named Wang Hong. He was quite dissatisfied with the Marquis for dismissing him from his post, and he complained."

"Another person sought advice from him on the silk business, and Prime Minister Zhao from the Jiangsu and Zhejiang government office was also involved."

After Xue Baochai finished speaking, Yue Ling immediately thought of someone, that was the Japanese who had come yesterday.

Yue Ling's expression quickly turned serious and he frowned as he began to think.

Xue Baochai repeated in detail the information she had heard.

Yue Ling then learned that this group of Japanese pirates had long planned to go to Hangzhou to find Zhao Deyong and negotiate the deal after failing to get his way.

If I had really let him go at that time, this matter might have really been accomplished.

After all, for today's literati, patriotism is secondary, and fame, wealth and power come first. As long as you can complete the arduous task of making up for the deficit in the national treasury, you will be meritorious, no matter what means you use.

Even when doing business with the Japanese pirates who were once our enemies.

Moreover, Dachang itself has a precedent of trading with the barbarians in the northern border, so there is really nothing wrong with it for them.

As for the Japanese pirates causing trouble to the people, they were completely blind to it, after all, they did not cause trouble to their own country.

"Miss Xue, do you think this is a good thing or a bad thing?"

Xue Baochai and Yue Ling looked at each other, observed each other's expressions, and answered truthfully: "If you look at it from the perspective of a merchant, this is indeed a very profitable business. If you can have a stable supply, and add a few thousand looms to the city, in addition to the revenue from the treasury, it can at least support a few thousand more people."

"It's just that the Marquis's perspective on things is not this worldly. The Marquis has his reasons for not being happy."

Yue Ling continued: "If I say that I am just fed up with the Japanese and don't want to reach any cooperation with them, from your point of view, isn't that too willful, abandoning national policy and the people?"

Xue Baochai shook her head and said, "The Marquis's likes and dislikes are not without reason. Since the Marquis does not like this business, there must be something wrong with it. It's just that I am short-sighted and did not notice the problem."

"The man who wanted to buy silk went to the government office yesterday. He was a Japanese."

"Japanese?"

Xue Baochai thought about it seriously. "The Japanese once assassinated the Marquis. They are troublesome and not people we can do business with. We will certainly make money from this business, but the Japanese will also make a lot of money. Moreover, they will firmly control the trade routes on the sea, which is also very disadvantageous to us."

"The Japanese are short of silk, and the foreigners are even short of it, so the price they ask for will not be low. If we only supply it to the Japanese in the future, and they then raise the price and sell it to the foreigners, our profits will be greatly reduced."

"The money we earn now is just a small reward. Your Majesty's choice is correct."

Yue Ling nodded slightly, "You and I have the same idea. My goal is to enable Jiangsu and Zhejiang to truly sell their goods overseas and earn money from foreigners. Set up a special government office, the Maritime Customs Office, led by the government, to escort ships going out to sea and conduct maritime trade across the ocean."

“This is the only way to ensure stable income and that profits can cover more people.”

"Not only do handicrafts need more workers, but shipbuilding, sailors and other people are in short supply. This will allow those who currently cannot find a livelihood to find a way out."

Without Zheng He's voyages to the West, people knew very little about overseas affairs. Most people only knew a little about what was happening overseas when foreigners came here. Therefore, most people were unwilling to take risks in the unknown world because there was no guarantee.

If the government took the lead and there was a strong navy to escort it, more people would definitely join in and make the Dachang Dynasty's voyage to the West a success.

This is not to show off national strength, but to make a profit.

There are deeper considerations. If there is to be a real new policy reform and silver is to be used as the currency for settlement everywhere, the Dachang Dynasty's silver reserves are simply not enough. Only by absorbing silver from outside can the silver be circulated and better provide blood for the new policy.

However, the blueprint drawn by Yue Ling is a scene that will only be realized after many years.

From not setting sail in the beginning to dealing with the attacks of Japanese pirates to having tens of thousands of ships crossing the ocean, it was not achieved overnight.

But when Yue Ling expressed his deepest wish, Xue Baochai began to have wild thoughts.

She could imagine the scene that Yue Ling described, and she became more and more convinced that if she followed Yue Ling, she would slowly see more unique scenery.

"Speaking of which, the second branch of the Xue family had already been working on the maritime trade route for the Marquis. They were the ones in the Xue family who were engaged in maritime trade, and the farthest they had been was India. But from what they said, India was not the farthest west. There were many countries to the west of India, and they were equally rich. Their weaving craftsmanship was crude, and silk was like a miracle in their eyes."

"If silk can be sold there, it may become a priceless treasure. The price will no longer be 10 or 15 taels of silver per piece."

Yue Ling nodded repeatedly and said, "The goal is indeed ambitious, but at present, there are still Japanese pirates entrenched in the coastal waters. With their threats, safety cannot be guaranteed. Not to mention going out to trade, even fishermen fishing in the coastal waters are often harassed."

Xue Baochai frowned and said, "But the Japanese pirates have been a problem for decades. The soldiers have repeatedly encircled and suppressed them, but they have never been able to completely wipe them out. In fact, the pirates have become more prosperous. There are many aristocratic families who are secretly colluding with them, and there are also soldiers at the border who are raising the pirates to demand military pay from the court."

"Now the Japanese pirates have turned to Fujian, and are rampant in the coastal areas. Their whereabouts are uncertain, and the officers and soldiers have no way to deal with them. If the Marquis wants to wipe out the Japanese pirates in one fell swoop, it will indeed be too difficult."

At this moment, there was movement outside the door again.

Xiangling got up and opened the door, and saw Lin Daiyu standing outside, peeking inside.

"I heard that Brother Yue came to Sister Bao's place? I came to see if Brother Yue bullied Sister Bao."

Lin Daiyu's eyes rolled around a few times, but she still couldn't hide the guilt on her face.

Xue Baochai stood up and welcomed Lin Daiyu into the room, saying with a smile, "How could the Marquis bully me?"

Lin Daiyu pouted, "He just bullied me yesterday. Sister Bao, don't be fooled by his handsome appearance, outstanding temperament, talent, and considerateness, but he is actually very bad."

Xue Baochai smiled helplessly, not knowing whether Lin Daiyu was saying something bad about Yue Ling or praising him.

Taking Lin Daiyu with her, Xue Baochai also sat down at the table. She said, "The Marquis and I were discussing some official matters. Now we have encountered some bottlenecks. Sister Lin has come at the right time. It would be great if she could give the Marquis some advice."

Hearing that they were discussing official business, Lin Daiyu put aside her previous thoughts and listened carefully to the two people retelling what had just been said in the room.

Combined with what she had learned about the case, Lin Daiyu frowned and said thoughtfully: "The current situation is very clear. Prime Minister Zhao of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang Office is a bad official. He has a higher-ranking official as his backer. Even Your Majesty cannot act rashly for the time being."

"Brother Yue is even more difficult to deal with. He has spies everywhere. Even the officials working in Suzhou City are more or less related to him. Without these people, Brother Yue can't do everything himself."

"From the perspective of the overall situation, the Japanese pirates have to be eliminated. Why not tie the two together and eliminate them together? Without Prime Minister Zhao, the others will have no backbone and can only be manipulated by Brother Yue."

Yue Ling pondered, "Sister Lin's intention is to let me use this identity as the Japanese envoy to get in touch with Zhao Deyong, and then lure him into an alliance with the Japanese pirates to harm me. In this way, I can convict him of collusion with the Japanese and lure the Japanese pirates out."

Lin Daiyu nodded. "Overall, it's not bad, but the pirates are vicious and more profit-driven than merchants."

Seeing Xue Baochai looking over, Lin Daiyu stuck out her tongue, took Xue Baochai's arm, and said with a smile: "Of course I'm not talking about Sister Bao, Sister Bao is the best."

Xue Baochai rubbed her head and said helplessly, "Go on with the business."

"So, if you want the Japanese pirates to take action, there must be a greater temptation of benefits."

"The temptation of benefits?"

Yue Ling murmured and repeated, "Got it, that's it!"

Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai looked at each other, as if they understood Yue Ling's expression, and both smiled happily.

(End of this chapter)