Red Mansion and Crimson Pearl

The next morning, Mrs. Xing indeed sent over several pieces of fabric.

One of the pieces was a plum-purple Su silk embroidered with pink plum blossoms, and Aunt Meng's eyes lit up when she saw it. Lin Daiyu couldn't help but smile when she saw it, and she accepted the cloth and asked Zijuan to personally bring a box of sweet-scented osmanthus candied lotus roots to Mrs. Xing to express her gratitude.

Then he took out the cloth and gave it to Qingwen: "Make a skirt for your Master Meng. Tomorrow when I come to mourn, she will be able to wear it."

Aunt Meng narrowed her eyes with joy.

A few days later, Xiao Hong went home for a visit. When she came back, she told everyone with a smile: "Grandma, Bao Xiaojie and San Xiaojie are now the housekeepers."

Qingwen disliked the darkness in her own room, so she now did needlework in Daiyu's outer room. She also said that when the weather got colder and they lit a brazier, she would do needlework on the fumigation cage, which was the most comfortable job in winter.

Hearing Xiaohong replying to Lin Daiyu in the room, he turned around and asked, "Second Madam didn't say anything?"

"What can she say? The eldest grandmother is her daughter-in-law, Miss Xue is her niece, and the third lady is her daughter. In short, they are all hers. What can she say?"

Aunt Meng took Lin Daiyu's pulse again and was more satisfied. She wrote a list and asked Xueyan to send it to the kitchen, "Eat these dishes for the next two days."

"Miss Bao, a neighbor relative, actually comes to manage our family? What does she do? The eldest lady didn't say anything?" Qingwen asked again.

Xiao Hong replied with a smile: "I heard that the old lady and the lady promised Mrs. Xue that they would tell the queen to let Miss Bao participate in the selection of the princess's tutor again.

“This matter will not be done until spring at the latest, so Miss Bao will only be helping for the next three or four months.

"Besides, the New Year is so busy. If the eldest wife doesn't let Bao-girl help, she will have to join in. And with the help of the second wife, the eldest wife will naturally keep quiet."

"Miss Xue is going to select a tutor again?" Daiyu had been leaning on the couch reading a book. She was stunned when she heard the news.

This is totally different from what she experienced in her previous life.

"I also heard..." Xiaohong opened her mouth, looked at Daiyu, and hesitated again.

Qingwen was so anxious that she almost stabbed her own hand: "What did you hear? Tell me quickly!"

Daiyu tilted her head on the couch and asked, "Yes, what did you hear?"

"I heard that after Xiren was sent to the farm, Miss Shi couldn't bear it and said she wanted to take her to recuperate. The old lady didn't stop her and let her go.

"Later, Miss Bao somehow brought Xiren back from the Shi family's farm to the Xue family's old house in Beijing. Now Xiren is treating her 'illness' while helping Miss Bao manage the affairs of the Xue family's old house!"

Xiaohong highlighted the important points and finished speaking in one breath, looking at Daiyu anxiously.

Daiyu said nothing, but picked up the book and continued reading.

Qingwen was not so tolerant, she pouted and said, "It's a hot potato for Miss Shi to handle, so the old lady will naturally stop it.

"Now she picked him up with a magnanimous face, not only did she work for her for free, but she also laid out all the affairs of the Second Master's courtyard in front of her.

"She is going to choose a tutor again. If she is chosen, the road to success will be waiting for her, and she will naturally be able to choose a good marriage for herself.

"If she can't be selected, or can't be chosen, she can take a step back and hold Xiren in her arms. She can definitely move into Yihong Courtyard and become the precious second wife of this family! She really thought it through!"

"Come on! You are just like her, treating people outside as fools!" Aunt Meng sneered.

"If she really wants to climb up the social ladder, then the other party will naturally ask about her affairs in Rong Mansion. If they find out about this, do you think anyone will want her?"

"Who knows, Xiren might die of illness by then." Daiyu said coldly, turned over and continued reading, "Stop making so much noise, get out!"

Everyone looked at each other, stuck out their tongues, and tiptoed out.

Only Qingwen, who was in the outer room, couldn't help but sneer when she saw that even Aunt Meng looked deflated.

Aunt Meng glared at her. Zijuan rolled her eyes at her as well. Xueyan and Xiaohong followed behind her, making faces at her.

Qingwen was not afraid of them. She held the silver needle in her hand and pointed at the three people besides Aunt Meng: Humph, I'll poke you to death!

——I don’t know since when, the atmosphere in Rikain suddenly became relaxed.

I guess it should be the day when Lin Daiyu made up her mind to leave Rongguo Mansion?

On the third day of the twelfth lunar month, it was exactly twenty-seven months since Lin Ruhai's death, and the mourning ceremony was held.

When Jia Zheng received the regulations, he was shocked and quietly pulled Jia She to look at them together: "The title bestowed upon Ru Hai posthumously is clearly a third-rank marquis, so why is the mourning ceremony being conducted at the first-rank level?"

Jia She had no idea, so he impatiently snatched it and put it in his sleeve pocket: "What's it to you? It was given by the Ministry of Rites, isn't it the emperor's will? Just do whatever he tells you to do!"

Jia Zheng had no choice but to do as he was told.

On the day before, the Jia family had prepared all necessary items such as mourning clothes, food, and utensils in proper order. However, when it came to the position of the fortuneteller who would guide the family members, everyone hesitated.

If we talk about this ceremony, it can be said that it was performed for Lin Daiyu alone. The others were just guests. So she was the only one guided by the fortune teller.

Then it would be difficult for this person to choose a foreign man.

But when it came to the sacrifice ceremony, she had to wash her hands, wash the cup, raise the wine and kneel down. She had a lot of things to do and she had to have someone to see her. It was not like the big auspicious occasion where she just knelt there and cried.

If Bao Dai's marriage hadn't been broken up...

Jia Zheng felt a headache just thinking about it, so he asked someone to go and ask Lixiangyuan: since he was the one in charge of the sacrifice, who should be the fortune teller and the prayer master?

Aunt Meng did not discuss it with Daiyu and replied directly: Jia Lian will be the person in charge, I will be the fortune teller, and Jia Zheng will be the one who makes the fortune.

It's quite appropriate.

When it was heard that the Ministry of Rites had provided a first-class ritual for Lin Ruhai's funeral this time, word came that the number of guests was 20% more than that of the Daxiang Ceremony.

Jia Zhen, who was busy preparing the banquet, was in high spirits and indulged in extravagance. He even wanted to use abalone and shark fin on the table. When the menu was brought to Jia's mother, she scolded him and had to reluctantly reduce the order by three levels, only using lion's head and sashimi to top the table.

Early in the morning on the third day of the New Year, Lin Daiyu got up at the hour of Yin, washed, and went to Ningguo Mansion with Aunt Meng, who was dressed solemnly. They borrowed the outer room and courtyard of the Jia family's ancestral hall, solemnly performed the mourning ceremony, and changed out of the auspicious clothes.

Jia Lian said, "The ceremony is over," and Lin Daiyu came out wearing a curtain to thank the guests. A message was passed outside: "The palace supervisor is here with the imperial edict. Please ask Miss Lin and Jia to receive it."

The guests looked at each other and laughed secretly, twirling their beards: It is just as it seems!

On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, the emperor would go to the southern suburbs to perform the wax day ceremony to offer sacrifices to all gods. This ceremony would start five days in advance, with three days of fasting and two days of intensive fasting.

The situation in the palace is tense today. The palace eunuchs are not supposed to come out at all, but they are here anyway, bringing the emperor's edict.

It can be seen that the Lin family and the Jia family are in the emperor's favor!

"The Emperor's decree: Return the old house of the Lin family to the Emperor, and allow the daughter of the Lin family to move in within three days. The Jia family will help. This is the decree."

Tao Xingjian smiled and handed the scroll with the simple and neat imperial calligraphy to Daiyu, who was kneeling there in shock. He said, "Silly girl, please accept my order and thank me!"