Red Mansion: Holding Space and Marrying Like the Sea

The Eighth Prince's Mansion.

Recently, the Eighth Prince seemed a little upset and often had a sad look on his face.

Princess Zhen cried in front of him all day long, begging him to find a way to rescue the imprisoned Zhen family members.

Didn't he want to help the Zhen family? Although the Zhen family is no longer what it used to be, as the saying goes, "a lean camel is bigger than a horse." Even if the Zhen family is in decline, it still has a certain amount of strength and influence.

However, despite his hard work and various attempts, nothing worked.

The emperor seemed determined to use the Zhen family as a warning to other officials. However, the people in charge of investigating the case were all the emperor's trusted ministers, and Shui Rong was unable to intervene.

Thinking of this, the Eighth Prince couldn't help but get angry and his face turned gloomy.

The emperor was clearly sending him a warning, trying to weaken his power. But now, just a year after Concubine Zhen's death, the emperor couldn't wait to take action against his in-laws, which made him extremely shocked and angry.

The Eighth Prince was filled with dissatisfaction and resentment. He gritted his teeth and thought, "Great! How dare the Emperor touch my in-laws? How abominable!"

He knew that he could no longer sit and wait for death. If he did not take action, he would probably be defeated one by one by the emperor and eventually become a lamb to be slaughtered, at the mercy of others.

In fact, the Eighth Prince's anxiety and anger were understandable. After all, the Zhen family held the position of President of the Jinling Provincial Tiren Academy, a crucial position. This position not only brought enormous power, but also brought enormous wealth.

If the Zhen family were confiscated, Shui Rong would lose a strong family supporter and a huge source of wealth. This would inevitably affect his position in the court and even put him in a difficult situation. Therefore, for the Eighth Prince, the fate of the Zhen family was closely linked to him.

The emperor was delighted to see the impressive results of the Jiangnan Province competition and the arrival of a new group of talented individuals in the imperial court. He invited Lin Ruhai to stay for dinner at the palace. Upon hearing this, Lin Ruhai was filled with gratitude and offered his thanks repeatedly.

Upon seeing this, the eunuch standing by ordered the imperial kitchen to add more cups, and at the same time ordered the young eunuch to notify the two masters' entourage to save them from having to wait in vain at home.

The position of the Emperor's closest attendant is not one that anyone can easily fill. Not only must one be able to read the Emperor's words and expressions, but one must also be able to discern the Emperor's heart. Simply speaking, the worldly wisdom requires a careful grasp of the situation. Just like today's incident, the two lords are already highly respected, and with the Emperor's grace and authority in granting them a banquet, how could anyone else have such an honor without the Emperor's favor?

After three rounds of drinks, the emperor suddenly smiled and said, "My dear minister, you have done a great job in supervising this exam. I wish to reward you. Is there anything you would like?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Ruhai hurriedly stood up to thank the emperor and replied in panic, "Serving the country is my duty. How dare I ask for a reward?" He knew very well that he had to politely refuse the emperor's gift, otherwise he would be regarded as greedy.

The emperor waved his hand and said with a smile, "Ah~ My dear minister, there is no need to be so modest. Just speak freely. How could I possibly treat you unfairly?"

Lin Ruhai kowtowed in thanks and said, "Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful for your grace. But Your Majesty has already given me more than enough. I really have nothing to ask for."

Without further ado, as the emperor was in high spirits, Lin Ruhai stayed with him in the palace like a shadow for the entire day, and only set out on his journey home when the sun set.

Lin Ruhai had been traveling non-stop that day, and had to carefully accompany the emperor, which was really tiring. The emperor seemed to have noticed this, so he generously waved his hand and granted him three days of leave, allowing him to leave with a sense of relief.

Only after returning to the Lin residence did Lin Ruhai finally relax. Serving the emperor is like treading on thin ice; one cannot let their guard down for even a moment.

After taking a bath and washing up, Lin Ruhai couldn't wait to go to Xifeng's courtyard.

On the 15th day of September, the front of the Lin Mansion was bustling with traffic.

Princesses, dukes and marquises, and wives of various mansions came in an endless stream.

Just because the next day was the 70th birthday of the old lady of the Lin family.

Therefore, all the important figures in the capital came to congratulate today.

The main hall was already full of people.

While everyone was chatting and laughing, they suddenly heard a maid come to report that Princess Beijing had arrived.

Everyone got up in a panic, fixed their makeup and clothes, and then went to wait outside the upper room.

After a while, Princess Beijing, surrounded by a group of female officials and maids, slowly stepped down from the sedan chair and walked into the main hall.

Everyone hurriedly bowed and greeted: "Greetings, Princess!"

Princess Beijing hurriedly asked everyone to stop making formalities, and she personally stepped forward to help up Madam Lin, Xifeng and others.

Madam Lin quickly invited the princess to take a seat.

After the princess sat down, everyone else took their seats again according to their respective status.

"Our prince heard that today is your 70th birthday, so he specially asked me to come to your house to congratulate you today!" said the princess with a smile.

As he spoke, he ordered the female officials beside him to present the gifts and gift list.

Mrs. Lin and others hurriedly stood up to express their gratitude and accepted it respectfully.

"How dare you trouble the princess to come here in person? We are so flattered!"

"Old Madam, you are too kind! Our prince has always admired the late Marquis's noble character and also respected Lord Lin's outstanding literary talent.

When he learned about the old lady's birthday, he repeatedly asked me to come and congratulate her in person, and he also wanted to go and congratulate Lord Lin in person!" Princess Beijing laughed again.