Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 432 You have the shadow of Duke Dingguo
"Master She is so arrogant! When Second Brother Lian spent 100,000 taels to buy laughs at Zuixianlou, where was your family law to whip him? When he went to the mansion to have fun without money and humiliated the family, where was your thunderous method? Now you want to blame the three unmarried girls for not saying such shameless words in front of the Duke. It turns out that the fate of the Jia family is only tied to the innocent reputation of the daughters?!"

The door of the hall was open, and the glow from outside came in, as if Lin Daiyu, who was walking into the hall with graceful lotus steps, had put on another rainbow-colored dress.

With her hands in front of her, she looked pure and unworldly, with her unmade-up face exuding an air of elegance and grace, as if she were a royal noble visiting here.

The sharp and loud voice echoed throughout the hall. When Jia She and Jia Zheng heard it, their hair stood on end and they were quite frightened.

Jia She and Jia Zheng were all stunned where they stood. Suddenly they came to their senses, stood up immediately, walked down from the front of the hall, bowed to greet Lin Daiyu and sat down.

Lin Daiyu completely ignored their flattery. Even though she was a junior, she was much more generous than them. She continued to criticize them coldly, "You two elders are the old lady's stewards, but you have made the family run like this! You two turned a blind eye to the eldest son's prostitution and ruining the family, and the girls refused to go along with him and instead used family rules, even at the expense of their innocence! This is just like the madam of Zuixianlou, who is calculating that if you don't have money, you can get married?!"

Comparing Jia She's act of forcing the girl into Duke Dingguo's mansion to that of a brothel owner is very appropriate. Even Jia She, who is thick-skinned, couldn't help but blush at this moment.

The lady of another man's house brought him to his presence and had to explain everything to him. What else could he say?

Lin Daiyu snorted coldly, "Since you said you want to send the sisters to the palace to serve, why not make it clear today, are you going to send them to Prince Zhongshun's palace as slaves, or to Prince Beijing's palace as concubines? Anyway, my elder sister will come back to visit her parents tomorrow, and I will ask this "poetry and gentleman" family how they sold the good family of the Jia family like skinny horses!"

When you are in the right but cannot resolve the problem, making a big deal out of it is a good idea.

Sanchun didn't dare to take the lead, but Lin Daiyu had no scruples. Her scolding seemed to be rehearsed in advance, like mercury pouring on the ground, scattering in an instant.

Jia She, who had been dominating the mansion all day, was so frightened that cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

"Girl, did you hear everything?"

"Why, I shouldn't have heard it?"

"no no……"

Jia She could not help but lower his proud head and said angrily for Lin Daiyu, "Miss Lin, you misunderstood. They are all girls from our Jia family. Why would you treat them so badly? I was just asking about some things. Now that I have clarified them, there is nothing else to do."

Lin Daiyu sneered in her heart and said, "I think it's time for the sisters to find out your true face!"

At first, Lin Daiyu didn't believe that they would go to such an extreme and actually start beating and scolding in the front hall. However, Xue Baochai was more insightful and predicted it exactly. She couldn't help but feel sorry for her sisters and became more determined to lead them out of their suffering.

When the three girls looked back and saw that it was not the servant who came in holding the willow branches, but Lin Daiyu, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

But Jia She's completely different attitude before and after made them feel even more aggrieved. Their eyes turned red with grievance, and they were too ashamed to look at Lin Daiyu who had just lectured them last night.

In such a solemn atmosphere, Jia Zheng acted like a good man, walked up to Sanchun, and comforted her in a gentle voice: "Something big has happened in the mansion recently, and you all know it. And then there is the trouble caused by Lian'er. Brother is so busy that he is worried about it. You don't have to worry about it."

"No matter what, you are all girls of my Jia family. I will not torture or pressure you, and I will not do anything shameful like Miss Lin said. What I just said was just angry words. You have been well-educated since childhood, so you should know how difficult it is for your elders, right?"

Lin Daiyu's aura was so strong that it was beyond Jia Zheng's imagination, and the situation was developing in an uncontrollable direction.

Jia Zheng could not help but whisper to Sanchun, "Say something to persuade Miss Lin. Appreciating flowers is supposed to be a happy event, but how will it end if it turns into such a mess? If Duke Dingguo asks about it, the mansion will not be able to bear it."

He raised his hand to help the three girls stand up and sit aside.

Tanchun bit her lip, feeling quite uncomfortable.

Although they had experienced a lot of injustice in their daily lives, after being criticized by Lin Daiyu, they began to carefully consider their roles in the Jia family.

Jia She's words were too hurtful, especially the sentence, "Since the Duke doesn't like you, I'll send you to the palace tomorrow! You'll be serving people anyway, and you can also earn a way for the family!"

They are aware of being used as bargaining chips, but being put on the table in such an insulting way must be hard for them to get over. How can they not bear a grudge?
The three girls' expressions did not ease much, nor did they respond to Jia Zheng's plea. Instead, they supported each other and came to Lin Daiyu's side, standing behind Xue Baochai and Qin Keqing who followed Lin Daiyu into the hall, just watching how Lin Daiyu would end it all.

Xue Baochai and Qin Keqing also looked at the three people from left and right, pinching their arms and cheeks to see if they were really punished.

Seeing that the three of them were still safe and sound and that they had arrived at the right time, Xue Baochai breathed a sigh of relief and did not make things too serious. She nodded frankly to Lin Daiyu.

"I thought Miss Lin would not honor me with her visit today. Please take a seat first. I will call someone in to serve tea." Jia She's palms were full of sweat. He was really afraid that something unexpected would happen during the visit.

If Lin Daiyu reported him in person and disrupted the important visit, he would become the sinner of the Jia family.

Even if the matter is settled, he will be held accountable.

Now that he has taken control of the Rongguo Mansion, if his evil deeds are exposed during the visit, he will have no chance of defeating Lady Jia, who has Yuanchun's support. Jia She couldn't help but feel nervous.

He was still thinking about how to get close to Lin Daiyu and beg her not to make a big deal out of it.

Seeing that her sisters were all fine, Lin Daiyu showed no mercy and asked Jia She, "Uncle, have you ever heard of a proverb?"

"What proverb?" Even though he was being scolded, Jia She still had to greet him with a smile.

"If a son is not taught well, it is the fault of the father." Lin Daiyu's beautiful eyes seemed to be spitting fire. She spoke coldly, trying to save face for her sisters and teaching them how to refute. "I was also there when Lian'er got into trouble that day. Wasn't it your fault that you allowed him to do such a ridiculous thing? No matter what, it is not their turn to bear the consequences!"

"They respect you as their elder, so it's hard for them to argue with you. But you're making things worse!"

Jia She had just taken out his handkerchief and wanted to wipe the sweat from his forehead, but Lin Daiyu scolded him again. He retracted his hand guiltily and the handkerchief fell to the ground.

He didn't dare to pick it up after such a misconduct, so he could only pull up the corner of his sleeve and wipe it, nodding repeatedly, saying: "Yes, it's my fault for not being able to discipline the younger generation as Miss Lin taught me. Tomorrow in front of the queen, I will admit this sin, and I hope the lady can forgive me."

Lin Daiyu frowned and said, "I forgive? It's not me you offended!"

Lin Daiyu knew how to take things as they came, and even Jia She could not help but be led by her.

After bowing, Jia She said to Sanchun, "It was my uncle who made the mistake first. I hope you can forgive me."

Sanchun turned her head away. If this kind of person who bullies the weak and fears the strong is given a little bit of good face, he will return to his normal state.

Seeing that her goal had been achieved, Lin Daiyu would not stay in this outer curtain for long.

"Okay, this is not the place for us to sit. There is no need to look at the tea. Let's go to the garden first."

Although Jia She had not said much to plead for mercy, at this moment Jia She wanted to send this plague-like Lin Daiyu away as soon as possible.

The pressure from Lin Daiyu was as if he had seen Yue Ling in person.

"Yes, Miss Lin is right. Let's go to the garden first. They have already prepared a welcome party for Miss Lin."

The group of people went out again with the three girls in tow. The servants of the Jia family, who had been watching the fun just now, shrank their necks like quails, lowered their heads, and retreated to the side.

Even the servants who were cleaning the courtyard stopped what they were doing and bowed their heads in greeting.

When they walked along the corridor and turned to the hanging flower gate, Lin Daiyu finally let out a sigh of relief. Xue Baochai stepped forward and took Lin Daiyu's arm, covered her mouth and chuckled, whispering softly: "Just now, Sister Lin was just like the Marquis scolding the corrupt officials in the government office, with sharp words and sharp tongues, and every word was heart-piercing. The master didn't dare to agree to any of them, so he had to admit his mistake."

Lin Daiyu looked back at Qin Keqing who was still comforting Sanchun, stuck out her tongue and said, "The words you and Sister Ke'er polished are still better. I memorized them and my momentum was lifted unconsciously."

Rubbing her cheeks, Lin Daiyu still felt that something was not perfect, and asked, "Next time, can you use less words like madam and skinny horse? They always sound weird when they come out of my mouth."

Xue Baochai blinked and said, "Is it strange? Sister Lin performed very well. Besides, this kind of words is the most elegant way to insult them. We can't let Sister Lin say something more unpleasant."

"I think it's just right."

"is it?"

Lin Daiyu let out a sigh of relief, thinking that Xue Baochai and Qin Keqing read too many essays in their daily lives, so they were immune to such words.

But when she looked at the girls around her, they all couldn't help but praise her and nodded for her wonderful performance in the classroom. Lin Daiyu had nothing to say.

After calming down, Lin Daiyu thought to herself, "This is just the beginning. I'm afraid the best is yet to come."

Sure enough, after passing a shadowy wall, they came face to face with Lady Xing, Lady Wang, Yuanyang and others, but the only person missing was Lady Jia.

"Miss Lin, you are finally here. We have been waiting for you for so long."

Mrs. Wang walked forward with a smile on her face, as if all the past quarrels had disappeared with the wind, and she looked so friendly as if they were close relatives.

Lin Daiyu nodded politely, stopped and asked, "Where is grandma now?"

Madam Xing and Madam Wang couldn't help but look at Yuanyang.

Yuanyang bowed apologetically and said, "The old man caught a cold while touring the garden yesterday and is feeling unwell. He has now rested in his room. The old man also saw it yesterday, so he will not go around with the other girls..."

Behind Lin Daiyu, many girls looked at each other.

They all have high emotional intelligence, and even Xueyan can see what Grandmother Jia is intending at the moment.

If Lin Daiyu still considered herself a junior, she should have gone to the bedside to care for her elders when she heard they were ill. However, she had just had a big quarrel with the two elders in the hall. Now facing Lady Jia, who had a higher status, it was unknown what Lin Daiyu would decide.

The girls stood still, waiting for Lin Daiyu to speak.

In Lin Daiyu's eyes, visiting the garden to enjoy the flowers was definitely not the purpose of the Jia family, otherwise they would not have to go there before visiting their parents.

Whether it is the Jia family or Grandmother Jia who wants to test something, it doesn’t matter to Lin Daiyu now. She came here for her purpose.

"I am a junior, but I am also Brother Yue's soon-to-be-married wife. Since Grandmother looks down on Brother Yue, why should I compromise and pretend to be a filial son? It can also reassure the Sanchun sisters that if they make a choice, the Dingguo Mansion and Brother Yue will protect them."

Looking back at the three sisters who were still immersed in their recent loss, Lin Daiyu slowly turned around and smiled like a spring breeze. Even though the sun was shining brightly in the sky, it seemed like a gust of warm wind was blowing past.

"Well, please let Auntie lead the way. We won't bother Grandma anymore. Let's go into the garden..."

……

"Girl, wake up, girl?"

Cuilu sat on a small stool, propping up her head with boredom, sitting there blankly.

After failing for the ninety-ninth time in her attempt to wake Shi Xiangyun up, she gave up completely.

The Duke Dingguo's Mansion, which was noisy and bustling in the past, is quiet today.

Everyone else followed Miss Lin to visit the Rongguo Mansion's garden, but she stayed in the mansion to take care of her young mistress who was sleeping like a pig.

It was too late to wake her up now, and I didn't know how much fun I would miss that day.

"Ok?"

After drinking too much, Shi Xiangyun's lips were cracked and chapped. She was thirsty and slowly woke up while pursing her lips.

"Water, drink water."

Hearing her young lady's voice, Cuilu stood up in surprise and brought over the hangover soup that she had prepared long ago.

"Girl, drink it quickly. This has been prepared early in the morning."

Shi Xiangyun came over and gulped down a few gulps. She felt hungry again, and her stomach was so empty that it echoed with the sound of water.

"Cuilu, how long have I slept?"

Glancing at the sundial outside the courtyard, Cuilu replied, "Exactly seven hours, no more, no less."

"What? It's already been seven hours?"

Shi Xiangyun was so shocked that her eyes widened and she woke up completely.

After a moment, he knocked his head again, regretting, "I was supposed to go back to Rongguo Mansion with my sisters to enjoy the flowers today, but I was delayed by drinking..."

Cuilu took away the tray and smiled as she stepped forward to finish the job, "Girl, there's nothing to regret. Do you still remember what happened at the table last night?"

Shi Xiangyun turned her head and said dully, "What happened?"

"Miss, you really don't remember. Think carefully. After the Jia family sent the letter, the letter was snatched away by the girl. No matter how others tried to stop her, the girl stood on a chair and cursed the Jia family, and tore the letter into pieces..."

Shi Xiangyun's big eyes, like copper bells, gradually became straight, as if she was seriously recalling what happened last night.

Even though her impression was not clear, Cuilu, who kept talking beside her, helped her piece together her memory.

After twisting her body, Shi Xiangyun fell back into the bed, turning her back to Cuilu and covering her ears.

He wrapped himself up like a worm, twisting his body uncontrollably and saying, "Go away! Go away! Stop talking!"

Cuilu kept silent, but she was already bent over with laughter, "It's okay, girl. At least you won't be able to see the girls today. However, it's embarrassing enough to only see the Marquis."

"Is it just me and the Marquis in the mansion?"

(End of this chapter)