Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 463: Water Saint's Game

Emperor Longyou raised his eyebrows and looked down, taking in the expressions of the three princes.

The eldest prince Liu An seemed a little reserved, with his hands kowtowed in front of him. The second prince Liu Yi was calm and composed, thinking that the answer just now satisfied him, and his face was full of satisfaction.

Looking at the third prince Liu Yun again, Emperor Longyou let out a light breath and asked, "Mr. Tang once told me that you study very hard, why don't you have any ideas today?"

The third prince Liu Yun stood up again and bowed, saying, "I am ignorant and not as smart as my two brothers. I have to work harder and not fall behind in my studies, so as not to disappoint my mother."

Emperor Longyou narrowed his eyes slightly and nodded, "That's all, he's also a good kid."

As soon as the words fell, Xia Shouzhong led the imperial physician in.

"Your Majesty, I have examined Duke Dingguo and he is fine, but..."

The imperial physician came to the side of Emperor Longyou and reported in a low voice. The twist made Emperor Longyou's heart rise with anxiety, "Just what?"

The imperial physician said slowly, "It's just that Duke Dingguo is very vigorous, different from ordinary people. When I arrived at his house, I happened to see Duke Dingguo gathering for a banquet, but his blood and energy seemed to be intact, which really surprised me. If it weren't for his physical condition, I would have thought that Duke Dingguo really knew some kind of yin and yang replenishment technique as rumored."

Emperor Longyou exhaled lightly and smiled helplessly like an old father. "So that's all. As long as he is fine, we can't trust all the rumors."

After a light cough, Emperor Longyou asked again: "What about the imperial examination?"

The imperial physician nodded, "I have informed Duke Dingguo, who said he would make early preparations. Your Majesty, please rest assured."

"it is good."

Emperor Longyou nodded repeatedly, pushed all the memorials on the imperial desk aside with a relieved look, and started to look at other matters concerning the country's economy and people's livelihood.

The imperial physician took his leave, and the three princes all knelt to pay their respects.

Emperor Longyou raised his head and looked at the full moon outside the window, his eyes gradually becoming deep.

"If we can clear all of this, it will be all over..."

……

into the night,

Lin Daiyu was exhausted and went back to her room early.

Although she wanted to stay intimate with Yue Ling for a while longer, she was afraid of the eyes of her sisters.

She is clearly a breath of fresh air in this mansion, how could she become so turbid? If she can't control herself, then her superiors and subordinates will follow suit, and who knows what chaos the mansion will become.

So Lin Daiyu must control herself.

Now, the housekeeper really felt powerless. Just when Lin Daiyu was at a loss, when she thought of the person coming from the palace, she started thinking of the Empress Dowager in the palace again.

Previously, we could be called pen pals and exchanged letters, but recently I have neglected to greet her, so I should write to her to say hello and also ask about her recent confusion.

As she thought this, Lin Daiyu sat up from the couch, lit a lamp, and wrote rapidly.

On the other side, in Yue Ling's room, Qin Keqing arrived as promised to receive punishment.

Replicating everything that happened in Lin Daiyu's room before, with only Yue Ling and Qin Keqing in the room, she felt more relaxed.

Covering her eyes with a silk ribbon and then completely naked, Qin Keqing knelt on the ground, curled up, waiting for Yue Ling's instructions.

Yue Ling, however, was taking his time, sipping his tea, flipping through the recent court bulletins from the capital, and looking through some of the items of tribute recently paid by foreign envoys to see if there was any content related to culture and technology.

After the imperial physician gave him some advice, Yue Ling had to be more cautious.

But the room fell silent, and Qin Keqing felt completely insecure in the darkness. Controlled by Yue Ling, she dared not act rashly. Fortunately, there was a hot basin burning beside her to maintain the temperature around her, so she didn't catch a cold.

Suddenly she felt a leg on her, so Qin Keqing raised her hand to support it, slowly put the foot into her arms, and fumbled to remove Yue Ling's leggings.

But this was her first time to have such experience, and Qin Keqing was very unfamiliar with it. After all, she couldn't see, and she was nervous and at a loss. She tried for a long time but couldn't find the knot.

Yue Ling smiled bitterly and said, "Forget it. After you help me wash up, we can go to the couch and rest."

Qin Keqing reluctantly shook her head and begged, "No, no, Master, just like this."

Yue Ling was helpless.

Then there was a gentle knock on the door, which solved Yue Ling's dilemma.

Thinking that Lin Daiyu had changed her mind, Yue Ling didn't say anything and quickly picked Qin Keqing up from the ground, rolled her into a ball, and stuffed her into the quilt.

To prevent her from moving around and making mistakes, Yue Ling also used the short ropes used to roll up the curtains to tie up Qin Keqing's hands and feet.

Then he clapped his hands and went to the door to open it, only to find that the people coming were not Lin Daiyu, but the two sisters of the Xue family.

Xue Baoqin pinched the hem of her skirt and smiled, but Xue Baochai's cheeks were as red as big lanterns, and she was shy.

This atmosphere and this attitude made Yue Ling think about it.

"Uh, you two..."

Yue Ling was speechless for a moment. It was definitely wrong to invite them in as there was another girl crying for food in the bed. But if he refused them in person, it would be too embarrassing for the two girls.

Both of them are beautiful and competitive. How could Yue Ling refuse their kindness? It’s not that Yue Ling wants to pick a pair of lotus flowers. He has always been self-restrained.

Xue Baoqin peered around the room and then breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm glad I didn't disturb you, Lord Marquis. I have something to discuss with you."

"Okay then. I'll call someone to serve tea."

Xue Baochai interrupted, "No need, no need. Just a few words will be enough. My Lord, there is no need to trouble you."

After saying this, Xue Baochai glared at Xue Baoqin.

Xue Baoqin smiled foolishly and bowed to Yue Ling again, "My daughter has a family matter, and I hope that the Marquis can help her. My father had arranged a marriage for my daughter before he died. The man is the son of Mei Daxueshi, the current president of the Hanlin Academy."

"My Lord, you know that I have been wandering on the sea with my father and brothers since I was young. I cannot live the life of a woman who stays at home to manage the family business. Especially since the Mei family is a noble family with strict family education, I will definitely not be allowed to go out in the future."

"So I began to have the intention to cancel the engagement."

Yue Ling nodded slightly, "It seems that your father was very close to the Mei family when he was alive. It is not easy to get engaged or break off an engagement with the Qinggui Sect. Have you thought about what to do? Unless we have no other choice, we should not use our power to pressure others."

Seeing that Yue Ling did not refuse but was thinking of a way for her, Xue Baoqin smiled even more brightly. "The Marquis is right, so I want to tarnish my reputation and take over my sister's business and put it under my name. If my reputation spreads throughout the capital, it will be a romantic scandal, and the Mei family will definitely cancel the engagement with me first."

"This way, we can give the Mei family a way out, and I can help my sister share some of the responsibilities."

Yue Ling blinked and really thought that Xue Baoqin had made a good plan.

"But you already have so many things to do, do you really want to help your sister deal with this trouble?"

Xue Baoqin nodded and said, "Don't worry, my Lord. I will deliver the Western knowledge to you on time."

Yue Ling nodded slightly, pointed to the court report he had just read, and gave an example: "Most scholars in the Confucian Academy regard the craftsmanship as a gimmick, and do not know how much impact the improvement will have. When I was in Cangzhou, I inspected the farming, and the dredging of canals and irrigation of fields were still done using the most ancient methods, which was really time-consuming and laborious."

"Our vision is to integrate Western and local skills and finally use them to reform people's livelihood. Therefore, we need to recruit more skilled craftsmen and make more attempts."

"Don't hesitate to spend money. If you need anything, just come to my house."

Xue Baoqin looked at the drawings and nodded slightly. Of course, she understood Yue Ling's needs. "Okay, Lord Hou, don't worry. I will have people focus on translating such books first, and start trying to integrate manufacturing as soon as possible."

"Well, thank you very much. As for the Mei family's affairs, your sisters can handle it. If there is any need, I will come forward. Don't worry, you can live in the mansion. No one can force you to leave the mansion and marry."

Xue Baoqin nodded repeatedly in satisfaction, took Xue Baochai's arm in arm, bowed, and walked out the door.

As soon as she got out of the door, Xue Baoqin took a deep breath and sighed, "The Marquis is so kind, so considerate and gentle. No wonder my sister is so devoted to him. At that time, I thought my sister had a head injury and was chasing after a man, but now I understand everything."

"Especially when the eldest lady is a good sister like Sister Lin, it won't be unfair for me to be a younger one."

Xue Baochai quickly covered Xue Baoqin's mouth, looked around, and made sure that there was no one around before letting go.

It was really hard to figure out what this girl was thinking. Xue Baochai asked coldly, "Girl, why do you say everything out loud?"

"So what? If you're afraid, I won't do it."

"You!" Xue Baochai was in the wrong and could not argue with her, so she changed the subject and said, "You can just go to Fengzihao to claim all the expenses that the Marquis mentioned. There is no need to bother coming to the mansion."

Xue Baoqin suddenly walked around to Xue Baochai, put her hands behind her back and looked up, like a teacher, narrowed her eyes slightly, and said, "This is what's wrong, sister."

Xue Baochai looked over blankly and asked, "Why is that wrong? Do you really have to use the money in the mansion?"

Xue Baoqin shook her head repeatedly, "Of course that's not the case."

"What I'm saying is that you shouldn't tell me this now, but should say it in front of the Lord in front of the Lord. If you're sincere but the Lord doesn't know, what's the point of doing this?"

Raising the official report in her hand, Xue Baoqin said, "Look at me. I have received several errands and I have to report them to the Marquis. The Marquis only remembers my hard work, will he remember your money?"

Xue Baochai was startled, then lowered her head shyly, "My Lord, you have a lot of concerns and a long-term vision. You remember even the smallest things, so how could you not remember the money?"

Xue Baoqin smacked her lips, hugged her shoulders and shook her head, saying, "It's terrible, really terrible. No wonder the word 'love' is considered a hindrance. My sister, who is usually very experienced in human relationships, is now as naive as a child."

Listening to Xue Baoqin's sarcastic remarks, Xue Baochai was so ashamed that she turned angry and rolled her eyes and said, "You are just a little girl, what do you know? Why don't you go back and have a rest? You have taken on so much work, and you will be busy in the future."

Xue Baoqin spread her hands and said, "Yes, we have to go back quickly. We almost delayed other people's work."

Xue Baochai was puzzled, "What's the matter?"

Xue Baoqin curled her lips and said, "Didn't you see a pair of embroidered shoes under the armchair? Those are what Sister Keqing wore tonight. I'm afraid Sister Keqing is already busy in her room by now."

"Why is Sister Keqing ahead of you? First, she knows her position. Second, she knows how to show her value in front of the Marquis. Third, she is not self-satisfied..."

Xue Baochai felt her face getting hotter, so she had to leave Xue Baoqin behind and flee.

Looking at Xue Baochai's back, Xue Baoqin shrugged and sighed helplessly: "My silly sister, when will you wake up? If your position is not stable, how can your sister fight for it? I think the second sister of the Jia family is a fake blockhead, and you are the real blockhead!"

After seeing off the two sisters of the Xue family, Yue Ling returned to his room, sat in the recliner, sipped his tea, and thought about how to deal with the opposition voices.

Yue Ling was lost in thought for a long time, and only came back to his senses when he heard some moans in the room.

Following the source of the sound, Yue Ling remembered that there was another person in the room.

"It's bad. I forgot about her."

A few days later, in front of Xuanwu Gate,

The scorching sun burned the bluestone slabs beneath the imperial city, and the air was so thick that it was suffocating.

However, what was even hotter than the weather was the dense crowd outside Xuanwu Gate.

Thousands of students dressed in Confucian robes gathered around several huge portraits held high, including Confucius and Mencius, looking up at the towering palace gate with their eyes as sharp as torches.

Several groups of people came together at the same time, which was obviously premeditated and organized.

"Defend our holy way! Punish this traitor!"

The sound waves were like tides, one higher than the other, hitting the vermilion palace walls and the tense nerves of the imperial guards.

On the plain white banner were written blood-red words, "The laws established by our ancestors cannot be changed, the eight-legged essay is the right way to select scholars!", "Strange skills and lewd tricks disrupt the government, how dare a warrior discuss civility?", "I beg Your Majesty to punish the treacherous and cunning, restore the old system, and calm the hearts of scholars all over the world!"

In the crowd, several old Confucian scholars who seemed to be the leaders shouted at the top of their lungs: "No matter how great the contributions of Duke Dingguo are, he is just a military man, vulgar and ignorant of literature! How dare you discuss the imperial examination and destroy our thousand-year-old cultural heritage! If this beast is not eliminated, the country will no longer be a country!"

As soon as someone started the conversation, there was an immediate and thunderous response: "Execute Duke Ding! Protect the old system!"

Ten thousand word letters were thrown towards the closed palace gate like snowflakes.

One cannot resort to violence lightly against Confucian scholars, especially since they have to bring out the Confucian saint from the Confucian Temple as a talisman.

Everyone who saw it found it a difficult situation, and the eunuchs also hurried to the palace to report the news.

The commander of the Imperial Guard had sweat on his forehead. He put his hand on the hilt of his sword and shouted sternly, but was drowned out by the even more violent waves of noise.

The students carried the "portraits of sages" and approached the palace gate step by step. The struggle seemed to be about to break out.

"It is unacceptable for a warrior to interfere in government affairs!"

"You have ruined my future and cut off my livelihood. This hatred is irreconcilable!"

The wave of voices was far from subsiding, and more people came from all directions to confront the Yulin Army...

(End of this chapter)