Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 94 Secret
Hall of Supreme Harmony, Side Hall,

The King of Qin was reading memorials in the hall, with Xia Shouzhong standing beside him.

Throwing the memorial on the table without interest, the King of Qin asked, "What has Yue Ling been doing recently?"

Xia Shouzhong bowed and replied, "I heard from the guards that Yue Ling visited the families of the Qin Wangfu guards who died in battle from house to house and gave them a lot of reward silver. Three hundred taels for the dead and one hundred taels for the injured. He also took in those who were alone and helpless at home, with only their parents, to live in his mansion."

Hearing this, the King of Qin was slightly startled, but soon he heaved a sigh of relief, "He really did it. He is a man of great loyalty and righteousness who doesn't regard those people as a burden."

Xia Shouzhong nodded repeatedly, "Yue Ling is indeed a man of integrity and loyalty."

"Pass on my order to build a monument for the soldiers who died in the Qin Palace. Choose to build it in front of their graves. And repair the houses for their families. Winter is coming soon."

"As ordered."

After a while, the King of Qin asked again: "Is there anything important happening outside the imperial city? Once you enter the palace, it feels like you are surrounded by a wall. I haven't been out for a long time."

Xia Shouzhong thought for a moment and then said, "There is nothing going on around here. If there is anything a little bigger, it seems that Ningguo Mansion is planning to hold a wedding for the young master of the mansion, and they are sending out invitations."

The corner of the King of Qin's mouth slightly raised, "As for these unworthy descendants of Ningguo Mansion, the old general didn't dare to write to me to visit them while he was in prison, and he even held a wedding banquet in the mansion?"

"Well, you can go and send a gift on my behalf. It doesn't have to be too grand. I am waiting to see what I think. Will I really not pursue those guilty officials?"

After saying this, the King of Qin's eyes darkened. "If you continue to act recklessly, I will be able to get rid of these pests someday."

At that time, the Princess of Qin came to visit the palace, and Xia Shouzhong left.

The King of Qin was puzzled and asked, "Why did you come here? If the censors knew about this, they would start gossiping about it. The palace is no longer the same as it was when I was in the King of Qin's mansion."

Princess Qin smiled and sat beside the King of Qin, saying, "Your Highness is not feeling well. He did not take medicine this morning. I am worried about him, so I naturally want to come and visit him."

Princess Qin looked at the letter in the hands of the King of Qin and asked curiously, "Where did this letter come from?"

The King of Qin smiled and handed it to the Queen of Qin, "Let me show you too."

Princess Qin took the letter, unfolded it, and soon laughed as well.

The King of Qin said, "Lin Ruhai is even more anxious than me. He probably heard some rumors and thought that King Kang died at the hands of Yue Ling. He came to advise me that Yue Ling's talent should not make him a lone minister. The court lacks capable ministers."

"I want to stabilize the court, but am I still lacking a sword? I have the ability to judge people."

Princess Qin leaned in the arms of the King of Qin, chuckled and said, "Lord Lin has been governing the local area and has helped Your Highness stabilize the situation for many years. His talent is also among the best. It is natural that he and General Yue have a mutual understanding. And Daiyu is still in Yue Ling's house. It is reasonable for him to be worried."

The King of Qin just smiled and said, "It's just that I know them inside out and never doubt their loyalty to the country. If it were my father, he would definitely suspect that they are secretly colluding."

Princess Qin nodded, "That's why Your Highness can become a wise ruler."

……

Yue Ling went out.

The little maids were busy in the treasury again. It was no longer the case that three people were working together in frustration. Many new people had come to the mansion, and there was also a maid of similar age like Ni Er's daughter Ni Ni to accompany them, so they were not as tired as in the previous few days.

After locking the treasury, a group of people escorted Lin Daiyu back to the main courtyard.

The maids, housekeepers' wives, and servants along the way all greeted Lin Daiyu.

"Miss Lin, I'm fine."

"Miss Lin, you look beautiful today too."

"Miss Lin, the cakes in the kitchen are ready. Come out and get some if you're hungry."

The servants in Yue's mansion were all extremely respectful to Lin Daiyu, and she nodded in return.

Even so, Xueyan felt extremely honored. Everyone in the mansion had to call her "Miss" when they saw her. This made her feel much happier than when she was looked down upon and despised for her childish behavior in Rongguo Mansion.

"Xueyan, take Ni Ni to the garden to play. Sister Zijuan, come with me."

Xueyan pulled Ni Ni, who was now a curtain-pulling maid in Yue Mansion, and went to the garden happily.

Zijuan fell behind Lin Daiyu and went into the room together.

"Close the door first."

Zijuan followed Lin Daiyu's instructions and went to bolt the door first.

When she came back, Zijuan looked puzzled, thinking that there was something private that couldn't be heard by outsiders, so she asked her to close the door first, "Miss, what can I do for you?"

Zijuan has been assisting Lin Daiyu in managing the staff in the mansion for the past few days. She has been running around and has never had a moment of leisure. She can be considered a very busy person.

At that moment, Zijuan didn't think much about it and approached Lin Daiyu, waiting for the next errand.

Lin Daiyu sat on the chair, looked at Zijuan, and asked, "Sister Zijuan, are you hiding something from me?"

"what?"

Zijuan panicked, "No, why would I hide something from you, young lady?"

Lin Daiyu raised her eyebrows slightly, her eyes full of affection and a hint of accusation, "Sister Zijuan, even though we haven't been together for too long, I can see what's on your mind. Recently, when we were out doing things, it was fine, but when we were together, you were either in a daze or hesitant. What are you hiding from me?"

Zijuan thought to herself, "This is the end. How can I explain this?"

She clutched her dress tightly, her palms sweating, her lips moving. Zijuan finally decided to confess, lowering her head and saying, "There is something..."

Lin Daiyu's gloomy expression disappeared, she took Zijuan's hand, tilted her head and asked with a smile: "That's right, is there anything we can't talk about?"

Seeing Lin Daiyu's appearance, Zijuan became more embarrassed, her cheeks burning, and she said in a whimpering voice: "On the night of moving, General Yue and I slept in the room..." "Did you go to the wrong room? It's a new arrival, and there are indeed a lot of rooms here. It's inevitable to go to the wrong room. I...I accidentally fell asleep in Brother Yue's room before, it's not a big deal."

Zijuan lowered her head even more, "It's not the sleep that the girl said, it's... I can't say it..."

Lin Daiyu came to her senses immediately, her cheeks flushed, and she stood up suddenly, "Sister Zijuan, you, you, you are a maiden of the Jia family?"

Zijuan nodded, not knowing what to say.

"Do you like Brother Yue?"

Zijuan nodded slightly, "That night, General Yue seemed to have some problems with the wine he drank, so the girl asked me to bring him some sobering soup, and then..."

Lin Daiyu sat back in her original position in a daze, and put the back of her hand against her cheek, which felt like it was burning.

"I don't know what to do. What did Brother Yue say?"

Zijuan murmured, "General Yue didn't say anything, he just said he would take my indenture."

Lin Daiyu thought for a moment and said, "That's a good thing. You finally have a place to go. Now I'm not wrong to call you sister. I really can't change my name from now on."

Zijuan asked cautiously, "Girl, you won't be angry with me, right?"

"Angry?" Lin Daiyu shook her head. "I'm just too surprised. Brother Yue will get married sooner or later. It's common for wealthy families to take concubines before getting married. Before Dad and Mom got married, they also had two concubines."

"and……"

"and?"

Lin Daiyu blushed again and said, "It's Sister Zijuan, it's better than anyone else."

The two little girls staggered towards each other in the room, turning their heads away, too embarrassed to look at each other, their cheeks blushing.

After a while, there was a knock on the outer door.

"Hey, why is the door closed in broad daylight? Sister Zijuan, let us in. We want some milk tea."

Lin Daiyu nodded, and Zijuan moved and opened the door.

Xueyan was seen holding Ni Ni's hand, and the two childish girls, one big and one small, were standing at the door.

Xueyan poked her head in, looked at Lin Daiyu, then looked at Zijuan, and asked in confusion, "Why are both of you so red-faced? The room is too hot, why don't you burn less charcoal?"

……

Qin's House,

The Ningguo Mansion had already paid the betrothal gift and had someone calculate the nearest auspicious date, so they could quickly hold the wedding banquet and finalize the marriage.

At the end of July, the weather was slightly cool.

Qin Keqing sat beside the couch in a daze, and her heart felt even colder.

Seeing that Qin Keqing's face was getting worse, Ruizhu persuaded her, "Miss, don't worry, as long as you can escape, it will be fine."

Qin Keqing lamented, "Escape? Where can a woman like me escape to? My home can't accommodate me, so where else can I go?"

Ruizhu said, "Now that we're married, we can't escape even if we want to. The situation in Ningguo Mansion must be bad, but there's still a chance of survival if we escape. There's a shop owned by my distant aunt in the East City, so go and hide there for a while."

Qin Keqing looked at Ruizhu worriedly and asked, "What about you and Baozhu? I heard that Jia Zhen, the master of Ningguo Mansion, is very fierce in beating people. I'm afraid that you..."

"As long as the girl is fine, we won't be in the way."

Qin Keqing became more and more choked with sobs. She took Ruizhu and Baozhu into her arms, and the three of them hugged each other and cried.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

"Sister, are you ready to get dressed? The bridal sedan is already parked at the door."

Hearing that it was her brother Qin Zhong's voice, Qin Keqing wiped the tears from her eyes, tensed her heart, and replied in a calm tone: "Wait a moment, I'll be there soon."

Afterwards, he hurriedly repaired the clothes with Ruizhu and Baozhu.

Soon, the door opened, Baozhu helped the bride over the threshold and walked straight towards the sedan chair.

Qin Zhong asked from the side: "Sister, when you get married in the hall later, don't forget the rules of his house. If you make any mistakes, you will be criticized in the future."

After giving a reminder but hearing no response, Qin Zhong called out again: "Sister, sister?"

Baozhu replied, "The young lady cried so hard in the room just now that her throat is uncomfortable."

The bride nodded, her veil fluttering slightly, Baozhu helped to cover it down, and then said, "Miss, you already know, get on the sedan first."

Qin Zhong glanced at Baozhu and asked, "Hey, why are you the only one here? Where's Ruizhu?"

Baozhu held her composure and replied, "Ruizhu is ill and is lying on the bed. If you want, you can go to her room to see her."

Qin Zhong frowned and said, "Forget it. I have to eat my sister's wedding candy later to get some good luck. How can I be infected with bad luck first?"

Baozhu nodded, followed the bride into the sedan chair, and headed west to Ningguo Mansion.

After everyone in the house had left, another maid ran out of the door and headed east...

　Thanks to Mod Xiaoqi, book friend 03186, book friend 10830, Zi Ma slept in today, Follow Your Heart 0722, Gong Chang Xiao Saner, Qian Deng, ... Yang Xiaoshang, Qi Ye Qian Ye, a fan of the First Emperor, It's really hard to give him a name, book friend 37434, and the monthly ticket for reading books for free. Thanks to the big brother Wu Shanhe for the reward, and thank you all for your support!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)