Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 88: One Sadness and One Joy (First Order Request)
Ningguo Mansion,
In front of the two stone lions, a royal sedan chair was parked, which was rare. Behind it, many officials from the Ministry of Justice lined up, apparently waiting to hear the announcement.

In the old days, when eunuchs came to Ningguo Mansion, they were mostly here to spread good news, commend virtues, and receive rewards from the palace, but today they had stern faces, as if nothing good would happen.

The Ningguo Mansion's doorman was so frightened by this scene that he quickly passed the news to the inner room.

When the palace people entered the courtyard, Jia Zhen hurried out and immediately knelt on the ground with traces of tears on his face.

The eunuch did not speak to his guest, but said directly: "We are here on the order of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to explain His Royal Highness's intention to you."

Then, the official unfolded a scroll of paper and read: "Ningguo Mansion Jia Daihua colluded with the rebels and caused chaos in the palace. He is stripped of his title and dismissed from his official position. In addition, his descendants are not allowed to serve as officials for three generations... I hope his descendants can correct their mistakes, abide by the etiquette and laws, and live up to the kindness."

After the announcement, the eunuch said, "Get up. If there is nothing else, we will go to Rongguo Mansion."

Hearing this, Jia Zhen was stunned.

It turned out that so many officials came not to search his house, but to look for the people in the West Mansion. Suddenly, his heart, which had been hanging in the air, slowly settled down.

With a smile on his face, Jia Zhen said, "Go slowly, eunuch."

After the people from the palace left, Jia Zhen let out a breath and slowly returned to the hall, still feeling as if he were dreaming.

Yu Shi, who was in the room, came out in fear and asked, "Master, what happened? Is there any hope for the master?"

Jia Zhen sipped his tea, calmed down and said, "It's difficult. The reason why my family was not confiscated and my family members were implicated is because Your Highness showed some mercy out of consideration for our old friendship. As for the fine and the prohibition of my descendants from entering the government, that's not all. I'll just have to live frugally for a while."

Youshi nodded and said, "You are not allowed to enter the government. Even if you pass the exam, you won't become an official. You will only practice Taoism. As for Rong'er, he is not good at studying. However, if Rong'er has a child, won't he be able to take the imperial examination or join the army?"

Jia Zhen thought about it and clapped his hands, saying, "Yes, that's right. Since we still have some savings at home, we might as well hope that the younger generation can revive the family. Rong'er is not young anymore, it's time for him to find a good marriage."

Speaking of this, Youshi became worried again.

"But given our current situation, is there any girl from a good family willing to marry into our family?"

Jia Zhen frowned and said, "A lean camel is still bigger than a horse. There are many families willing to marry you. Just wait and see. I can find a good marriage for you."

"By the way, go find out what happened in the West Mansion."

……

Rongqing Hall,
Wang Xifeng visited the seriously ill Lady Jia in the room.

Jia She, Jia Zheng and Wang Ziteng were discussing matters outside.

"My dear old man, this is a difficult matter. We must first take care of the old lady's health so that our families will not be without a backbone."

Wang Ziteng sighed and said, "This is a difficult time for the family. We, the Wang family, naturally cannot just sit there and watch. We have agreed before to let Lian'er and Feng'er get married. This should be put on the agenda."

"The Wang family will definitely not regret it. Just consider it as a way to bring good luck to the old lady."

Jia She and Jia Zheng were delighted when they heard this, and they all thought it was a good thing.

Jia Lian is Jia She's son, needless to say. Jia Zheng's wife, Wang Xifeng's aunt, is really a close relationship.

Jia Zheng hurriedly said, "Okay, okay, brother-in-law, it's settled. When the old lady gets better and we get her consent, we will send someone to the mansion to present the betrothal gifts."

Jia She also said: "Second Master, this is enough. The Jia family will not let down this friendship."

Wang Ziteng waved his hand and said, "You are too polite. Every family has its own difficulties."

At that moment, someone from outside reported that someone had come from the palace.

The three of them quickly dropped the conversation and walked out together.

I saw a large eunuch, followed by a group of officials from the Ministry of Justice, already in the courtyard.

Seeing this, Jia She and Jia Zheng were both stunned. It was Wang Ziteng who stepped forward first and asked, "Eunuch, what's the matter?"

When the eunuch saw Wang Ziteng, he added, "It's the two masters in Rongguo Mansion who have something to do."

Turning to Jia She and Jia Zheng, the eunuch asked again, "Who has ever sent a message to Datong Town?"

Hearing this, Jia She trembled, his legs and feet became weak, and he almost fell to the ground. As expected, he could not hide the fact that he was involved in the matter of King Kang.

Seeing that Jia She had confessed, the eunuch said to the official from the Ministry of Justice, "I am only conveying your Highness's intention. The Ministry of Justice should still carry out its official duties. You can arrest him, and I will go back and report."

The runners from the Ministry of Justice stepped forward and hurriedly put shackles on Jia She.

Jia She's mind was in a trance and his face turned pale with fear, without a trace of blood.

After the criminal officials took Jia She away, Wang Ziteng said to Jia Zheng with an embarrassed look on his face: "As for the marriage between our two families, I haven't informed my eldest brother yet. I will send a letter to Jinling when I return home..."

……

The carriage was shaking, and Yue Ling and Lin Daiyu were sitting opposite each other.

Seeing Lin Daiyu clutching her sleeves tightly and looking a little nervous, Yue Ling smiled and said, "Didn't you say that the Crown Princess is very friendly? Why are you still so worried?"

Lin Daiyu lowered her head and whispered, "After all, this is the imperial palace, and I still feel a little uneasy. And the Crown Princess is the future Queen, so how can I not be nervous when I see her?"

Yue Ling rubbed Lin Daiyu's head lovingly and said, "You are the first person that the Crown Princess invited to be her guest since she entered the East Palace. Could it be possible that she would ask you to teach her a lesson? She really loves you very much."

Lin Daiyu looked up, opened her big watery eyes, looked at Yue Ling, and stammered: "I really don't know why the Crown Princess likes me so much, so I feel uneasy." The more worried she was, the more uneasy she felt. Yue Ling changed the subject and said: "I don't know how Zijuan and Xueyan are doing at home. We may have to go to the new mansion tonight."

Lin Daiyu also began to look forward to what her new home would look like.

After arriving in Beijing, she lived in the courtyard for half a year. Although Lin Daiyu was reluctant to leave the courtyard, she thought for a moment and said, "Although the courtyard is very good, it is quiet and undisturbed. But after all, Brother Yue has been promoted to a fourth-rank official. There will be more and more people visiting him in the future. If we want to stay overnight, there will be no room. It is really inconvenient."

Yue Ling smiled and said, "I don't know why the Crown Princess likes you so much. But you are so well-behaved and sensible, it's really hard for people not to like you."

Lin Daiyu pouted, "Brother Yue, you are teasing me again."

Soon, the carriage arrived at Xuanwu Gate.

Yue Ling got off the carriage first, put down the carriage seat, raised the curtain and went to the inner room to meet Lin Daiyu, calling out, "Sister Lin, we're here."

Lin Daiyu nodded and got out of the car. Seeing Yue Ling reaching out to support her, she hesitated for a moment before taking his hand and walked down the car steadily.

The guards on duty at this time were replaced by the personal guards of Prince Qin's Palace. When they saw Yue Ling getting off the car, they hurried forward to salute.

"Meet Commander Yue."

Yue Ling held Lin Daiyu's hand and waited until she stood firm before turning around and speaking to his guards, "Excuse me, I wonder if the Crown Princess of the East Palace has made any arrangements?"

The guard led the way and said, "Come this way. The maids from the East Palace have been waiting here for a long time."

After passing Xuanwu Gate, we saw a group of palace maids waiting at the foot of the wall. They didn't speak to each other and their faces showed no expression.

It was not until they saw Yue Ling leading Lin Daiyu over that they smiled and gathered around them.

The leading maid led the other maids to bow to Yue Lingfu and said, "Master Yue, we will take Miss Lin with us."

Yue Ling nodded, "Thank you for your help."

Yue Ling let go of Lin Daiyu's hand and waved at her, "Go ahead. I'll pick you up after I finish my work here."

Lin Daiyu just nodded slightly and didn't dare to speak.

After watching Lin Daiyu being escorted away by the palace maids, Yue Ling turned around and went to the palace to look for King Qin.

……

The East Palace is a unique landscape in the imperial city. After passing the tall and majestic palace gate, a lake comes into view. The autumn breeze blows gently, creating ripples.

Walking along the bluestone avenue, you will reach the main hall of the East Palace. The glazed tiles are shining with golden light in the sun, which is magnificent.

Lin Daiyu had been to Rongguo Mansion. As a mansion built by imperial decree, the materials used were not minimal, but it was still far from the imperial palace.

Standing alone in the hall, Lin Daiyu couldn't help feeling uneasy again.

Soon, a gentle voice sounded in my ears.

"You finally came."

When Princess Qin saw Lin Daiyu, she was delighted and walked over quickly.

Lin Daiyu looked in the direction of the voice and saw the Princess of Qin. She immediately bowed and said, "Greetings, Crown Princess."

When she looked up again, she realized that there were several children following behind Princess Qin, and it seemed that the oldest one was younger than her.

Princess Qin turned around and ordered, "You can go back first. I will test you again tomorrow."

The three little boys said in unison: "Yes."

Then the three little boys went out together. When they passed by Lin Daiyu, they just lowered their heads to look at the road, as if they were very tired.

Princess Qin asked unhappily, "How did I teach you just now?"

The three little boys turned around again and saluted Lin Daiyu together, "Hello, sister. We will leave first."

Lin Daiyu was a little confused and nodded in return.

After they left the house and were taken away by their respective palace servants, Princess Qin came forward and explained to Lin Daiyu: "They are all my children. I have been lax in disciplining them since they were young. This is really a headache."

Lin Daiyu was slightly surprised. She only felt that the Princess of Qin was in her prime and looked nothing like the mother of several children. "Are they all the Crown Princess' children?"

Princess Qin smiled and led Lin Daiyu to sit aside. She ordered the palace servants to serve new tea from the south of the Yangtze River. She slowly said to Lin Daiyu: "Yes, in the old days, the Qin Palace and the Kang Palace were fighting fiercely. For their safety, they were fostered in someone else's home under an assumed name."

"I only realized how naughty they were when I brought them back together. They had no manners and were spoiled."

Princess Qin sighed, then cheered up and said, "Okay, let's not talk about them. You finally came to the palace, so let's talk about your business first."

"My business?" Lin Daiyu wondered.

Princess Qin said, "I see you are reading the Four Books and Five Classics and various poetry collections in your room. Do you prefer these books? Women cannot take the imperial examinations, and there is a myth among the people that women are virtuous if they are not talented."

Lin Daiyu answered truthfully: "Brother Yue also told me about this. He said that studying is not just for the imperial examination, but also to comprehend the wisdom of the ancient sages in dealing with the world from the words of the saints and broaden your horizons..."

　Thanks for the first order, thanks for all the parents who provide food and clothing
　　
　
(End of this chapter)