Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 302 Yue Ling's Instruction in the Room

In the government hall,

Jia Lian was called in, feeling uneasy.

If he could choose for himself, he would never come to Suzhou to see Yue Ling.

Once upon a time, Yue Ling left him with a huge psychological trauma, which led to his sexual problems later on. He took Chinese medicine for a long time but still couldn't get better.

Therefore, he rarely went to the flowery alleys to seek pleasure. As a result, he was regarded as a prodigal son who had come to his senses and returned to the right path by the elders such as Jia Mu. They praised him highly and found a proper marriage for him, which seemed like a blessing in disguise.

Thinking of Wang Xifeng's beautiful face, like the moon reflected in spring water, clear and bright, Jia Lian couldn't help but feel moved, but there was no reaction below.

Sighing secretly, Jia Lian took a step forward and was led into the house by the yamen runner.

In the inner hall, the three people who had just discussed matters with Yue Ling disappeared. They retreated to a compartment separated by a screen, and the tea was taken away.

The three of them sat opposite each other and could hear every move in the hall clearly.

"Your Excellency, I am Jia Lian from Rongguo Mansion. I am here to pay you a visit because I have a family matter to ask of you. I know this is abrupt, so I have prepared a few things to show my appreciation. I hope you will not mind their simplicity."

"Family?"

Yue Ling raised his eyebrows and said, "No need for courtesy, just tell me what it is."

Jia Lian tremblingly handed over the letter written by Lin Ruhai, then forced a smile and said, "Uncle Lin has already written everything in the letter, the Marquis will know it at a glance."

Yue Ling nodded slightly and asked Jia Yun to take the letter. He unfolded it and saw a few words written in it: "...The Jia family and the Zhen family are old friends. Now, Mrs. Rongguo, thinking of the past friendship, has asked me to send the letter, but she didn't know that something wrong had happened in the process."

"Right and wrong are all judged by the law. How can there be any talk of leniency? Considering the hardships of the people, we should be impartial and make the truth known to the world, so that the guilty can be punished and the innocent can be at peace."

"I am writing this letter not out of personal feelings. My father-in-law passed away, and the Jia family is not very well-informed about external affairs. They are isolated from the news and are putting themselves in danger. This should really serve as a warning to the Jia family. You should act prudently."

After reading the letter, Yue Ling put it away calmly.

Looking at Jia Lian's expression again, it was obvious that he didn't know the contents of the letter. Yue Ling also understood the deep meaning behind Lin Ruhai's decision to allow Jia Lian to come.

It just so happened that there were three listeners in the room, so Jia Lian came at the perfect time.

"Are you here for the Zhen family's business?"

Yue Ling sat upright with his hands clasped, his face showing no emotion.

Facing Yue Ling, who was younger than him, Jia Lian could only regard himself as a junior. He lowered his head, stood alone in the hall, and responded, "Yes."

A smile appeared on Yue Ling's face, and he raised his hand and said, "Please sit down. It must be hard for you to come all the way here."

Seeing that Yue Ling's attitude had softened a lot, Jia Lian thought to himself that Lin Ruhai's letter was indeed useful, so he sat aside.

"Do you know what the Zhen family has done wrong?"

Jia Lian pondered and said, "I heard from the Zhen family that they were involved in the Suzhou case. They said that the Zhen family was just in charge of the weaving bureau, and whatever they earned was given as tribute to the palace. They had no selfish motives to be involved in the prefect's murder case."

Yue Ling still smiled and said, "So, I caught the wrong person?"

Yue Ling's aura was too strong, and Jia Lian realized that what he said was a bit one-sided, and hurriedly said: "No, no, the Marquis naturally has his own considerations, and the Zhen family may not be without fault, but they just mean that the crime is not enough to confiscate the family's property."

Yue Ling shook his head and sighed, "You don't know the details, yet you dare to come here to give gifts and beg for mercy? Do you know what this is?"

Jia Lian was startled and asked in astonishment, "What is the Marquis referring to?"

"I am the chief judge, and you are pleading for the prisoner of the Zhen family, and you have brought valuable gifts with you. Isn't this bribing your superiors and swaying the court?"

"If I accept your favor and clear the Zhen family of their charges, what kind of reputation will I have? Accepting bribes and abusing power for personal gain?"

"You also said that the Zhen family went to the Jia family to intercede for them, and spread money to the capital to smooth their connections. Is this forming a clique for personal gain? Is it the Zhen family forming a clique, or is it the Beijing County Prince's Mansion forming a clique? Is your Jia family an accomplice?"

"Perhaps the crime was not punishable by death before, but now it is aggravated."

After a few words, Jia Lian felt as if the prison door was open for him again. If he was sent to the Suzhou prison again, no matter how he begged for mercy, it would be of no use and no one would be able to save him. It seemed as if he would repeat the same mistake.

His legs went limp, and Jia Lian almost slipped off the chair. He said hurriedly, "My Lord, this has nothing to do with me. Yes, yes, it was the old ancestor who made the decision. The old ancestor accepted a huge gift from the Zhen family. It's not my fault."

The word "forming a clique" scared Jia Lian greatly. The Jia family had a history of working for Prince Kang's palace before. If the charges were proven again and the old accounts were brought up, it would not be the Zhen family that would have their property confiscated, but the Jia family.

Jia Lian quickly bowed and said, "My Lord, you are impartial and honest. Just think that I am talking nonsense today and offending you. I am only in a hurry to go south because of the ancestor's order. How can I make such a decision?"

"Oh, the Zhen family gave gifts to the Jia family, it's true." Yue Ling's smile was ambiguous.

Jia Lian's heart trembled, knowing that this time it was all over.

Not only did he fail to save the Zhen family, but he also caused trouble for the Jia family.

A great drama was taking place in the hall, and it could be heard clearly in the compartments.

Chen Ju frowned and thought to himself, "This Jia family is really ungrateful. They have the nerve to come to Marquis Anjing for help. Do they really think they have a close relationship with Marquis Anjing? Marquis Anjing has given the Jia family a life-saving favor. He is so magnanimous that he does not ask for anything in return. Yet, the Jia family is waiting here to cause trouble."

"The nobles from the four kings and eight dukes are all of the same character. It seems that the Zhen family must have also sought help from the palace. They are not good people either."

Su Moyun lowered his head in thought, still thinking about what Yue Ling had just said.

He first showed Jia Lian some good looks to let him relax his vigilance, and then spoke out the punishment in a swift and decisive manner, leaving him unable to react and full of loopholes, and also confirmed the crimes committed by the Zhen family.

Things like smoothing relationships have always been common, and can be big or small. If they were to be brought to the surface and involve factionalism, and it was the only hereditary Prince of Beijing Mansion in Dachang, they would really have to come out and clarify quickly and ask Yue Ling to deal with it fairly.

There is no obstacle in solving the case.

If that person was not Marquis Anjing and did not have the power of Marquis Anjing, it would seem appropriate to use this method.

It's like Su Moyun was the one handling this big case. If he stood in Yue Ling's position and said these words, not only would all the efforts of those who tried to exonerate the Zhen family behind the scenes be wasted, but he would even have to ensure his personal safety.

Otherwise, if anything unexpected happened to him, the Zhen family would never be able to clear themselves of the blame even if they jumped into the Yellow River.

Su Moyun had some understanding, which was the first lesson he learned from following Yue Ling.

Wang Xianzhi on the other side was unmoved. He had many years of experience in solving cases. When he read the previous confessions, he concluded that the Zhen family would not live long and that Yue Ling had already convicted them.

As for the extent to which it can be achieved and how many people will be involved, it all depends on the will of the emperor.

But changing the emperor's will is not an easy task. All we need to do is follow the procedures and do our auxiliary work well. I believe nothing major will happen.

"My master asks the three adults to come to the hall to discuss matters."

……

Right now, Yue Ling is still focusing on the issue of Suzhou’s military armaments.

Because the combat power did not meet Yue Ling's requirements and the navy was incomplete, it was not an easy task to eliminate the Japanese pirates who had been entrenched on the coast for many years.

But opening the sea is a must. Nowadays, maritime trade is not very developed even in the world.

Most Westerners were exploring sea routes and failed to develop complete commercial lines.

Dachang is starting off a little slow now. If no strong measures are taken to rectify the situation, I am afraid that the future history will be difficult to change.

After all, Dachang is an agricultural country with limited land. Most of the good places are occupied by landlords and gentry, so the lives of the people will only become more and more difficult.

Only by making the pie bigger and earning money from outside can we feed more people.

In order to make up for the shortcomings of the navy, Yue Ling also thought of the most crude way, which was to increase firepower and transfer several heavy artillery to Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and bombard any Japanese ships that approached the shore.

There is nothing to be afraid of when they get ashore. Yue Ling is confident that he can defeat the Japanese on shore with this group of newly trained soldiers.

The matter was handed over to Chen Ju, who was asked to write back to the palace briefly describing the situation in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and then secretly transfer the artillery of the Beijing camp. After a busy day, when Yue Ling returned to Fengqiao Post, it was unusually deserted, which made Yue Ling very uncomfortable.

"Isn't it just that Nanny Wang has just arrived? Why do everyone seem to be unfamiliar with her? Even the people walking around outside have disappeared."

There were no snow geese frolicking in the yard all day, nor was there Lin Daiyu sweeping up the fallen flowers and leaves in the yard. The pearls were not busy coming and going, and there was not a single person in sight.

In the main hall, Lin Daiyu was not sitting in her room either. Yue Ling shook his head slightly and poured himself a cup of tea. Although it was still warm, it did not taste fragrant and was not at all to his taste.

Nowadays, Yue Ling is becoming less and less used to having others pour tea for him. Only the tea poured by Lin Daiyu is particularly delicious.

"Strange, where have all the people gone?"

Yue Ling walked through the corridor and came to Qin Keqing's room. Ruizhu and Baozhu were both leaning on the chairs and dozing off. Only Qin Keqing was lying flat on the bed. Her eyes were as round as bells and her face was pale, as if she had died with her eyes open. Yue Ling was startled.

He touched his nose and found he was still breathing. Yue Ling breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I remember you haven't been like this before. Are you feeling uncomfortable this time?"

Qin Keqing is not a young girl of marriageable age. Although she lost her virginity some time ago, she shouldn't be in this state during her menstruation. Yue Ling really couldn't understand it.

Qin Keqing's dilated pupils gradually gathered. Seeing that it was Yue Ling who came back, her expression eased a little, "It's the master who is back. I'm not feeling well today. Master, go and ask them to help me wash up."

Yue Ling tucked the corner of the quilt for Qin Keqing, then touched her forehead with the back of his hand, but found nothing unusual.

Qin Keqing was a few years older than all the other girls in the room, even a few months older than Yue Ling. It was rare for her to take care of her like a little girl.

Qin Keqing squinted her eyes and enjoyed it, feeling much better. Yue Ling couldn't help laughing and said, "You are like an animal now."

Qin Keqing blinked and said, "Is it the kind that Master likes?"

Yue Ling thought for a moment and said, "Well, I like it."

Qin Keqing pursed her lips, "Not bad, what kind of animal is that?"

"Snow foxes, especially when people hold them in their arms, will squint their eyes when they feel the warmth, just like you did just now."

Qin Keqing laughed and said, "My Lord, you said I was a vixen. There's nothing wrong with being a vixen. At least, being pretty can bewitch people. If I had this ability, I would be the first to bewitch you."

Yue Ling raised his eyebrows slightly and asked, "The first one? Could it be that you want to seduce the second one?"

Qin Keqing nodded and said, "The second one bewitched Sister Bao."

"Ah? What did she do to you?"

Qin Keqing opened her mouth, but ultimately did not tell the reason.

After everyone in the room had left, when she realized that the booklet was missing, it was too late.

There is no need to think about it, it must have been taken by Xue Baochai.

She could even take away such a shameful thing. Xue Baochai, who is usually amiable, actually has such a dark side. Qin Keqing didn't know what price she should pay to get this book back.

It may be useless to take it back, after all, the little secret is already in someone else's hands.

Qin Keqing now felt only regret in her heart. If she had known earlier, she would not have written it down and would have just casually talked about it with Ruizhu.

But she was too embarrassed to speak out what was in her heart, and it was inconvenient for her to tell the two little girls, so she could only write it down, look back at it every day, and recall the excitement she felt at that time.

Now you're trapped in your own web.

Qin Keqing suddenly changed her tone and asked, "Master, if someone else got hold of your evidence, what would you do?"

Not knowing why Qin Keqing would ask such a question for no reason, Yue Ling thought for a moment and said, "Although it is said that no one is perfect, it seems that I don't have any handle at the moment. After all, I haven't done anything to make me feel guilty."

As he said this, Yue Ling's mind suddenly appeared Lin Ruhai's voice and smile, and his heart ached.

Qin Keqing's attention was certainly not on Yue Ling's face. She was still thinking about her own problem, "What if? What if someone got hold of something that was wrong with me, what would I do?"

Yue Ling thought about it, then raised his hand and made a gesture of wiping his neck, "Kill him?"

Qin Keqing shook her head repeatedly, "That won't do. What if he has a good relationship with the master and the master can't bear to kill him?"

Yue Ling frowned and said, "That depends on what the specific matter is. I can't give you an answer like this."

Qin Keqing pulled Yue Ling's arm, not letting him go, and still asked in a coquettish tone, "Please, Master, think about it again. This is not a big matter of national hatred or family feud. It's just a small matter. I got embarrassed and he caught me."

"That's it."

Yue Ling thought about it carefully again and replied, "Since it's just an embarrassing thing, why not drag him down with it and make him do the same embarrassing thing? That way he won't be able to laugh at you, and he won't be able to use it as a threat."

"Or if you find something embarrassing about her, and you both hold each other's handles and no one dares to reveal it first, wouldn't the problem be solved?"

Qin Keqing nodded repeatedly, "That makes sense, that makes sense, you are worthy of being the master, you really have a solution."

Yue Ling blinked and asked, "What embarrassing thing did you do? Who caught you?"

Qin Keqing was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Master, what are you talking about? I have never done anything embarrassing, let alone been used as a handle by others. Master, you are overthinking it. It's just a hypothetical situation, just a hypothetical situation."

……

In the west wing,

The ground dragon was roaring and the heat in the room was very intense.

Ying'er and Xiangling were playing chess in the front room. Their clothes were half-undone, with their outer garments only hanging on their shoulders, but they could not stop drinking tea because it was so hot.

In the room, Xue Baochai looked calm and composed. She just gently waved her round fan and swallowed frequently. She didn't drink any tea, but her mouth was watering.

There was a booklet on the table, written by Qin Keqing herself.

In this world, it is not uncommon to see articles with a bit of pornographic content, and some even have pictures to make people feel more involved.

Xue Baochai had also read some of them, but she couldn't say she was interested in them.

However, the book I got this time was compiled and illustrated by someone close to me, and it was about Yue Ling, which made me feel more involved than a painting.

What would she do if the girl in the scene described by Qin Keqing was her?
Xue Baochai didn't dare to think about it too much. She swallowed again and quickly turned to the next page.

"I didn't expect that during the days when Sister Lin was having her period, Sister Keqing had such a lively and colorful life..."

"Hey, you're still using your mouth like this, Sister Keqing, are you still going to eat?"

Thinking of how Qin Keqing often picked food for her, Xue Baochai couldn't help but shudder, and then turned the page with trembling hands.

"Also, can a sweat towel be used in this way? Sister Keqing, you are such a person."

Xue Baochai felt that she would never be able to look Qin Keqing in the eye again, and there was also the sweat towel around Yue Ling's waist.

"Girl, the Marquis is back and wants us to have dinner."

Ying'er walked into the room, only to see Xue Baochai quickly placing a booklet on the table.

The booklet looked familiar; it was the Xue family's account book that the girl brought with her when she went to see Qin Keqing.

Ying'er asked in confusion: "Miss, what kind of account is this? You have been looking at it for a whole day and you still haven't finished it? Do you want me to help you calculate it?"

Xue Baochai quickly locked the account book in the drawer and said with a smile, "No, it's too early for you. I'll show it to you later when I have a chance."

Ying Er rubbed her head in confusion, "A chance? What do you mean by a chance?"

(End of this chapter)