Red Mansion and Crimson Pearl

In just two or three days, Li Wan moved in with Jia Lan, carrying a lot of luggage.

On the day of entering the courtyard, Jia's grandmother specially set up a vegetarian banquet in the upper room, invited Aunt Xue and her daughter to join her, and left aside Mrs. Wang who was claiming to be ill, and called the women from the two mansions to come over for a gathering.

At the banquet, everyone had changed into plain clothes. Li Wan, Wang Xifeng, Baoyu, Yingchun, Tanchun and others who were closer to Daiyu's mother Jia Min also solemnly tied coarse linen belts.

Only Mrs. You, the matriarch of the Ningguo Mansion, was as timid and quiet as a chicken. She sat there with her head lowered and dared not say a word because Jia Zhen had just told her the truth the night before.

"Your Majesty values ​​the Queen, so the rules of the family must be stricter. This time, His Majesty and the Queen personally issued an order for our family to make up for the mourning period for my poor daughter. Although it is a shameful thing, it is also a good thing.

"From today on, everyone should be more alert. I called in the men in the family who have not made any progress the other day and scolded them. You wives, daughters and sisters, for the sake of the Empress in the palace, should also take the trouble to persuade and correct them."

As Grandmother Jia spoke, she looked with a smile at the mother and daughter of the Xue family who were becoming increasingly restless. After all, her eldest son, the dull bully Xue Pan, was the first person in the world who was always fond of showing off his temper and who never took human life or money seriously.

"I asked my aunt to come because I was afraid that the house would suddenly become ugly and you would think too much. It's really because my grandson is not doing well and the people in front of the emperor have found his shortcomings. We have no choice but to do this. If my aunt feels uncomfortable, it's my fault for not treating her well!"

Aunt Xue blushed, and she could neither sit nor stand, so she could only smile and respond: "Old lady, what you said is biased. Although I am a guest, our families are all blood relatives. You say it is the mansion's business, but in fact it is the business of our four families.

"The Empress is in a critical moment right now. If we are careless and cause trouble outside, wouldn't we be sending our heads to be chopped off by the Emperor? Even if we are ignorant, we shouldn't act recklessly at this time. It's because the old lady thinks less of me that she is giving me this warning in person!"

Grandmother Jia nodded with a smile: "Auntie is very insightful. As expected, she understood what I said."

"The old lady didn't look down on mother, you just underestimated her." Xue Baochai suddenly spoke gently, winking at Grandmother Jia playfully, "If you go home and tell my brother about what I said today, he will definitely forget half of what he heard.

"But if you tell him what the old lady said, and he hears that it was our ancestors who gave the order, how dare he not behave himself and be a good person for a few days?!

"So if we talk about the person who controls all the personnel in our four prefectures, who else but our ancestor?"

She said with a gentle smile, and Wang Xifeng joined in the laughter: "It is indeed true!"

But apart from the two of them, no one else at the table laughed along. Instead, they all slightly curled the corners of their mouths and nodded, as if to give face to Xue Baochai.

The two cousins ​​felt a little awkward. They looked at each other and then turned away calmly.

Grandmother Jia's eyes swept over the two of them coldly, and then looked at everyone one by one, and finally fell on Lin Daiyu, who was as quiet as a chrysanthemum. Her expression became complicated, and she sighed softly, and said slowly: "Yu'er, are you really going to close the courtyard from today?"

Everyone was shocked.

Baoyu was the first to jump up, his face full of fear: "Close the courtyard? What do you mean by close the courtyard? Who wants to close the courtyard!?"

"Your sister Lin has to observe mourning for three years. The old master and the old lady are both in the south, so if she wants to go back, the old ancestor will naturally not allow it.

"Although my eldest sister-in-law and Lang'er moved in with her, she lived in the front yard, and my eldest sister-in-law and her son lived in the back yard. Now the front yard is closed, and only a small door is left in the back yard for Lang'er to go in and out to school in the future, and outsiders will not disturb him.

"Brother Bao, we have met Sister Lin today, and it will be three years before we meet again. If you have anything to tell me, please tell me now!"

Wang Xifeng quickly told the whole story.

Baoyu just looked at Grandmother Jia with a look of disbelief, and with red eyes, he said, "Grandma, is what Sister Feng said true?"

Grandmother Jia nodded helplessly: "Just ask your sister and you'll know."

Everyone's eyes were focused on Lin Daiyu.

Daiyu put down the small cup of frozen banana leaves, swallowed the plum wine in her mouth, and said with a smile: "Grandmother said that today's banquet is a memorial banquet for my parents, so I came.

"If you're talking about sealing off the courtyard, my courtyard should have been sealed since the Empress's purple jade ruyi was sent to me. After all, everyone in the palace already knows that I'm in mourning.

"My sisters, my second brother and I grew up with our grandmother. We have a deep affection for each other. I don't need to say more about empty words. We are all educated and we all know that etiquette is more important than anything else.

"In the next three years, please take good care of yourselves, grandma, aunt, sisters-in-law, and sisters. Please ask my second brother and sister-in-law Lian to take good care of grandma. Aunt Xue and Sister Bao, please take care of yourselves as well."

With that, Yingying stood up and bowed deeply, "I'll take my leave now."

Everyone's expression changed!

Not even waiting for the end of the meal?

Xue Baochai frowned slightly, glanced at Lady Jia and Lady Xing, stepped out of the crowd, embraced Daiyu's arm, and said with a smile:

"Wait a minute, Pin'er. Since the old ancestor said this is a memorial banquet, and all the sisters-in-law are here in mourning, you must return the gift. Wouldn't it be rude to leave now?

"Why don't we go together after we disperse? I was thinking of sending you there, too."

As he spoke, he lowered his voice, and a few tears fell as he blinked his eyelids: "You know, I also lost my father, so I always have a few intimate words to tell you."

Lin Daiyu wanted to break free, but then she remembered that Xue Baochai had taken good care of her for several months in that life. Her heart softened and she nodded hesitantly, "Okay."

Seeing her sit down again, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Baochai with appreciation and approval.

Only Baoyu became even more sad.

Seeing this, Jia's mother reached out and hugged Baoyu to comfort him. Baoyu cried and complained to Jia's mother: "Why do you listen to others and not me? We grew up eating at the same table and sleeping in the same bed..."

"Shut up!" Grandmother Jia stopped them immediately, and after seeing that no one was paying attention, she warned them in a low voice, "You are grown up now. If this kind of talk gets out, will you and your sister still have good reputations?"

"But……"

"But what? It's just because the relationship over there is more distant that she had to give face. We are family, so there is no need to be polite and speak frankly."

At this point, Jia's mother sighed again and used her childish tricks, "Your sister is filial and misses her father, so she can't take care of you for the time being. Wait a few months until she is better, and when the queen comes home to visit her parents, you can ask her to come out."

Baoyu was confused: "Can I?"

"Yes! Why not? She was forced to stay in mourning because of the palace's order. Once the palace gives another order, won't she be able to come out and live a good life with us?"

Grandmother Jia was full of confidence. "She's my own granddaughter, and I don't know her. You can just rest assured!"