Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 304 Qin Keqing's Questioning
Shuangyu Island,
Because the coastal areas had been harassed by Japanese pirates for many years, the government moved all the residents of the nearby islands and reefs back to the land.

This made Shuangyu Island near Ningbo Prefecture an uninhabited island.

At that time, Shuangyu Island was indeed deserted and uninhabited, but it is completely different now.

Shuangyu Island has an excellent terrain, with many harbors around the island that can berth thousands of ships. It is located at a strategic location on the sea route and is narrow on the outside and wide on the inside, making it a natural harbor for pirates.

After the Japanese pirates became rampant, this place became their gathering place, used for smuggling and selling stolen goods, making a lucrative business.

There is a wide official road running through the center of the island, with no grass growing on it, as if it has been compacted and leveled. There are rows of shops on both sides of the road, which is even busier than Suzhou.

There are many kinds of commercial goods here, especially luxury jewelry, tea, and antiques, which are even cheaper than on land and sea. Only daily necessities such as food and water are more expensive here.

However, this place is only prosperous on the surface, and there is a cannibalistic darkness behind it.

Because on the island, as long as you have money, you can buy things that you can never imagine on land.

Human trafficking is an illegal activity that is absolutely prohibited in Dachang. Even servants and slaves must sign a contract to sell themselves and have a legal identity.

But on this island which is not under the jurisdiction of the government, all these are ignored and all the desires of the payers will be satisfied.

If you have money, you can buy all kinds of women, not just women from Dachang and Silla, but also women from Japan. Even more bizarre conditions can be met on the island as long as you can offer equivalent money and benefits.

This kind of place is not something that ordinary people can get involved in.

There is no need to think about it for a moment. Shuangyu Island has certain connections with various aristocratic families in the south of the Yangtze River. They are the main force of consumption and even supply the island with daily necessities and convenience.

Zhao Hao, the young master of Longxing Escort Agency, has now joined Yue Ling's team. He was previously in charge of the operations of the Cao Gang.

During these three years, the Cao Gang was back on track, and Yue Ling assigned them a tough job, going deep into Shuangyu Island alone to deal with the Japanese pirates.

If he didn't have extraordinary courage and outstanding martial arts, he would have no way of protecting himself in such a place, let alone completing the tasks assigned by Yue Ling.

This was the biggest test he had ever faced, so he brought two of his trusted confidants with him and headed all the way to Shuangyu Island.

Without any intention of wandering around, he went straight to the actual controller of this place, the Japanese pirate Wang Shun. Wang Shun was just his Chinese name, and outsiders did not know his real surname.

At this moment, a general's mansion has been established on Shuangyu Island, and Shuangyu Island is under the jurisdiction of Wang Shun.

"The Prime Minister's men?"

Outside the mansion, Zhao Hao nodded and handed over the letter and ID card that he had prepared in advance.

The servant looked him up and down and said, "Come in. The general just came back from Fujian today."

"That's a good thing I got there."

Zhao Hao suppressed the disgust in his heart, bowed, and followed the doorman to the main hall.

In the main hall, a bare-chested man sat with a long scar on his chest clearly visible. He had a square face, but his eyes were very sinister, revealing his true nature. He was suspicious and not a simple character.

Working at sea is a risky business, with people going through wind and rain. It is impossible for ordinary people to gain a foothold near the coast.

And now, Zhao Hao has to perform a strategy to conceal the truth in front of such a person.

Holding his breath, Zhao Hao sent the letter first. He believed in Yue Ling's ability and would definitely take all the situations into consideration. He also had a lucky bag given by Yue Ling in his arms, which he was told to open when the situation was critical and he couldn't handle it himself.

This made his troubled heart feel much more at ease.

"Prime Minister Zhao's people are rare guests. Please take a seat."

Wang Shun spoke fairly fluent Chinese and greeted Zhao Hao warmly.

After asking someone to serve the tea, Wang Shun opened the letter and read it carefully, his expression gradually changing.

After two cups of tea, Wang Shun slowly sighed and said, "I understand what is said in the letter. I also heard that the Prime Minister is in trouble now. If I don't fight to the death, I'm afraid I really can't defeat this An Jinghou."

"It's just that, last time in Cangzhou, we sent 400 elite soldiers, half of whom were armored warriors, but they only scratched Marquis Anjing's skin. The price was too high."

"The capabilities of Marquis Anjing should not be underestimated. This time he is going to land and attack Suzhou Prefecture. This is really too risky."

"Although the Prime Minister has helped me a lot, and I, Wang Shun, am not an ungrateful person, but this matter still needs to be considered carefully."

Wang Shun's words were almost exactly what Yue Ling had rehearsed with him beforehand, and Zhao Hao responded calmly: "My master said that after the matter is completed, all the Xu family's confiscated property will belong to the general."

"The Xu family? The Xu family is also involved?"

Zhao Hao nodded, "They are in prison now. Even if you can't kill Marquis An Jing, you can get rid of them while robbing the prison. The reward will be the property seized this time."

"Now that the Xu family has been confiscated by Yue Ling, I'm afraid it's hard for the general to imagine how much wealth there is."

Wang Shun, who had been evasive before, suddenly had a big change.

For this group of desperate criminals, there is nothing in the world that they dare not do. The key is whether the reward is enough.

The Xu family is known as the most wealthy merchant family in Jiangnan, and is truly wealthy enough to rival a country.

After their house was confiscated, the remaining wealth might be enough to support their hard work on Shuangyu Island for decades.

Now Yue Ling is in charge of naval affairs. As a military general, it is foreseeable that he will strengthen coastal defense. Later, he will definitely seek revenge on them. They are natural enemies.

This time, with the help of an insider and a generous reward, to be honest, Wang Shun was a little tempted.

"We can't rush this matter. As the Chinese saying goes, haste makes waste. Please stay here for a few days, and we will discuss this matter and give you an answer."

Zhao Hao stood up, bowed, said goodbye and left.

After Zhao Hao left, Wang Shun's staff came close to him and said, "General, don't trust this man's words. His identity has yet to be verified, and he may not really be someone in Prime Minister Zhao's mansion. If Marquis Anjing wants to take this opportunity to catch Prime Minister Zhao and us in one fell swoop, then he will fall into their trap. The general must be on guard and not be blinded by the immediate benefits."

Wang Shun thought about it carefully and nodded, "This is what I am worried about."

Sighing, Wang Shun said, "Let's appease him first and let him have a good time on the island for a few days. Then send someone to Hangzhou to find out if this person was sent by Prime Minister Zhao."

The aide nodded deeply, "Okay, I'll do it right away."

……

Maple Bridge Inn,
After a night, Lin Daiyu did not mention going back to her room just as Yue Ling had originally thought. She slept soundly in her bed.

When he got up and washed up in the morning, Yue Ling smelled his palms and found a faint fragrance.

He had been holding Lin Daiyu's hand all night and was so warm that he was sweating. Lin Daiyu was not prone to sweating and her body was usually cool. The sticky feeling between their fingers made her blush and she started to avoid Yue Ling's gaze again in the morning.

"I, I'd better go back to my room and let Xueyan help me wash up. I don't need you to look after me anymore."

Ruizhu and Baozhu brought in two wooden basins on their own initiative, but they heard Lin Daiyu, who was sitting on the edge of the bed with her hair simply tied up, begin to refuse their care.

"This……"

Ruizhu and Zhuzhu were also unsure and looked at Yue Ling. Yue Ling smiled and nodded, "Okay, let's listen to Sister Lin."

Lin Daiyu dressed herself, wearing embroidered shoes and a coat. Her thin figure looked a little disheveled.

As soon as he stepped over the threshold, he screamed again.

"ah!"

Yue Ling, who was still sitting there savoring the aroma, quickly stood up, only to see Lin Daiyu at the door. She had tripped over the threshold not because of her panic, but because there was someone standing outside the door.

That person is Nanny Wang.

Yue Ling sat back feeling somewhat guilty, pretending not to care and not to listen to what the two were saying, but in fact Yue Ling's hearing was very good.

"Mother Wang, you scared me to death. Why are you hiding behind this door?"

Nanny Wang frowned, peeked inside again, and then replied, "I'm not hiding at all. I'm just coming to the room to pick up the young lady. Why is the young lady so sneaky? Could it be that she is so sneaky?"

Nanny Wang's eyebrows jumped, and she couldn't help but think more deeply.

After all, Yue Ling was born a warrior, and he was at a young age with a strong passion. Could he control himself when Lin Daiyu slept by his bed?

Looking at Lin Daiyu's delicate and weak appearance, she definitely couldn't resist. Besides, her heart was with Yue Ling, so how could she resist? She would probably give in reluctantly in the end.

Nanny Wang suddenly felt a little regretful, feeling that it was her indulgence of the two that led to the current situation.

It is indeed not good to have a concubine's eldest son before getting married, but it is also not right to have a legitimate eldest son before getting married, right?
Nanny Wang hurriedly pulled Lin Daiyu's sleeve, walked to the end of the corridor, and asked in a low voice: "Last night, what did you do last night? Didn't you promise me that you wouldn't get too close and couldn't cross that line? That's why I agreed to keep it a secret for you."

Lin Daiyu stammered, "No, I didn't do anything. I just chatted for a while and then went to sleep."

Nanny Wang frowned and asked, "Really?"

Lin Daiyu nodded repeatedly, "Of course it's true."

Nanny Wang closed her eyes and sighed, "Do you think that I am an old woman with dim eyesight and cannot understand the ways of the world? The girl's face turned red just because we were chatting?"

Lin Daiyu lowered her head in shame.

She was a clean person, so sweat, which was filthy when it came out of her body, was considered dirty. But last night, her hands were deeply entangled with Yue Ling's, and they didn't separate all night. When she woke up in the morning, her palms were wet.

Afraid that Brother Yue would dislike her, she quickly pulled her hand back and moved away.

Lin Daiyu continued to stammer, "Didn't mother ask before? Three maids in this room have slept in the same bed with Brother Yue. I also wanted to be closer to Brother Yue, so I suggested that we sleep holding hands, and then we slept like that all night."

Nanny Wang looked Lin Daiyu up and down and felt something was strange.

"Something's wrong. Aren't they already done it? How come the girl's face turned red just because they were holding hands? Did I misunderstand?"

"If the two of them hadn't reached that stage, they really shouldn't have stayed overnight in Marquis Anjing's room."

When Nanny Wang was about to ask more questions, Qin Keqing lazily walked out of the room, sobbing, "I haven't touched the master for a long time. I feel exhausted."

She rubbed her eyes again and found two people standing outside the door. They were not Pearl Ruizhu, but Lin Daiyu and Nanny Wang.

Qin Keqing was stunned for a moment, and couldn't help thinking in her heart: "I was thinking about the master just now, so I shouldn't have said it out loud. Judging from the expressions of the two people, they probably didn't hear it either."

She couldn't let more people know her true nature, otherwise she would really have no place in this room.

Once the matter of the booklet becomes known, she won't be able to deny it.

Thinking of this, Qin Keqing's tiredness mostly dissipated, and she trembled and straightened up.

Forced to smile, Qin Keqing's eyes lingered on Lin Daiyu's hair, which had not yet been tied up, and asked, "Miss Lin, haven't you combed your hair yet? Do you want to come to my room and I can help you do it?"

While Qin Keqing was examining the two of them, Nanny Wang was also examining her.

Before, I only paid attention to the girl from Xue family in the west wing, but now I see this girl, with her figure and appearance, she is simply a vixen!
If she stayed by Marquis Anjing's side and served him every night, let alone the eldest son, by the time Lin Daiyu grew up to be old enough to get married, she would probably have a second or even a third son.

Nanny Wang completely dispelled her previous doubts and nodded slightly, saying, "If that's all, then it's okay. Shall we go back to our room first?"

Lin Daiyu nodded in agreement, and thanked Qin Keqing for her kindness. Before leaving, she did not forget to say a few words of concern: "I heard from Ruizhu Zhuzhu that Sister Ke'er was in a bad mood yesterday? If you have any troubles, you can come to me to talk, and I will also think of a way to help Sister."

Qin Keqing unconsciously looked towards the west wing, her mouth twitched, and she said awkwardly: "Well, okay, I'll go to Miss Lin's room to ask for some tea when I have a chance, and then we can talk about these things."

Lin Daiyu just walked over and happened to see the door of the west wing open.

Xue Baochai, carrying Ying'er and Xiangling, walked towards the main hall, preparing to have dinner.

Last night Xue Baochai left too quickly and was not caught by Qin Keqing, so she came early this morning just to stop her and have a good talk about the booklet.

Qin Keqing walked quickly and happened to stand in front of Xue Baochai when she turned around from the eaves of the corridor, shocking Xue Baochai so much that she took a step back.

"Sister Bao, I have something to talk to you about."

Qin Keqing's fake smile made Ying'er and Xiangling look at each other in confusion.

Qin Keqing has had her period recently and I went to visit her a few days ago. Why does she look like she is here to blame me now? There shouldn't be any grudge between my girl and her.

Only Xue Baochai blushed slightly and said, "Ying'er, Xiangling, you two go first. I have something to say to Sister Keqing."

The two of them became more and more confused. Why did they have to hide this from the maid who served them most closely?

This feeling of loss of trust made Ying'er breathe a sigh of relief.

It would be fine for Xiangling, but she was a maiden of the Xue family and grew up with Xue Baochai. They were as close as sisters, but she couldn't stand it.

Pulling Xiangling who was standing there in a daze, Ying'er walked forward and snorted, "Let's go, let's go, let's not disturb them from talking."

After watching the two of them leave, Qin Keqing turned around, faced Xue Baochai again, and slowly bent her knees...

(End of this chapter)