Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 314 Is that Buddhism in your hand?
After saying a few words of advice to Qingwen, who had a difficult journey south, Lin Daiyu sent all the maids away and couldn't wait to read the Queen's letter.

In Lin Daiyu's eyes, the Queen, as a person who has been through a lot, has always been very experienced, and her suggestions are also regarded as the golden rule by Lin Daiyu.

Before Lin Daiyu went south, the Queen advised her to think carefully about how to get along with Yue Ling. When they met again, she must be self-controlled and deliberately draw the line in conversation. She needed to be more reserved.

As a result, because of the appearance of Miaoyu, all her previous plans were useless.

That was just an accident, and it didn't mean that the Queen's words were useless. Lin Daiyu believed it without a doubt.

This time, when Lin Daiyu opened the letter, she saw that the Queen had indeed given two suggestions that seemed useful.

First, rewards and punishments should be clearly defined.

What the queen meant was that if you want to manage a group of people, you should set up rewards even if there is no punishment, so that they can compete with each other. Those who get rewards will have a sense of superiority and satisfy their vanity, while those who don't get rewards will work harder to comply with Lin Daiyu's requirements, so that they can get satisfaction next time.

It’s just that Lin Daiyu couldn’t think of setting up any rewards at the moment.

If it were money or other valuables, the maids in the room would probably not care because they have enough food and clothing. So the reward had to be attractive enough.

"If it were up to Xueyan, she would definitely behave herself if Brother Yue cooked a meal for her."

Lin Daiyu could only think of this one suggestion, but she didn't continue to worry about it and continued to look at another suggestion.

Second, internal differentiation.

In other words, the Queen wanted her to establish an internal supervision mechanism and have someone stand on her side to supervise these girls at all times. Once they did something wrong, they would immediately notify Lin Daiyu in secret.

And for the person who stands on her side, he must be as loyal as possible.

This also made Lin Daiyu feel a little embarrassed.

It goes without saying that Xueyan is definitely not capable of taking on such a heavy responsibility, and Zijuan, who is a little smarter, is the first maid to climb onto Yue Ling's bed. Even if she is loyal, Lin Daiyu can't help but doubt her words.

Qin Keqing was even more of a thief who embezzled money. The pearls of Ruizhu were all Qin Keqing's maids, so it was difficult for them to be loyal to her.

Xue Baochai?
Lin Daiyu shook her head repeatedly, denying the thoughts in her mind.

It would be best if there was someone who had no connection with Yue Ling who could do this.

Lin Daiyu thought about it carefully and felt that there really was no suitable person yet. She sighed secretly and continued to read some advice the Queen gave her on how to get along with Yue Ling.

As she watched, her cheeks gradually turned red with embarrassment. She picked up the teacup, her hands trembling a little and she almost spilled the tea.

"Do you want to do this? Isn't it too intimate? Didn't the Queen say before that we should be more reserved? If this is the case, is it still innocent?"

……

Qingwen was driven out along with the other girls, and she followed Lin Daiyu's instructions and asked for Qin Keqing's address to deliver the accounts.

After walking into the door, he found that Qin Keqing was sitting at the table. She was wearing a cloak with white gauze cuffs, an emerald-colored ribbon necklace, a peach-red double-breasted jacket with a collar and emerald-colored patterns embroidered on it, a silver-red tube top, and an emerald-colored beaded long skirt. Her slender body perfectly set off her graceful figure.

She looks so charming and graceful, she doesn't look like a maid at all, but more like a daughter of an official family.

Qingwen, who thought she was quite good-looking, felt ashamed when she saw him.

When she was in Rongguo Mansion, she was favored because of her outstanding appearance. Compared with the Anjing Marquis Mansion, it was nothing.

With Qin Keqing as a shining example, everyone else seems to pale in comparison.

At the moment, she was marking on an orange "account book" with a distressed look on her face.

Qingwen's heart suddenly surged with respect. "No wonder Miss Lin gave the financial power to this person. In this temple, other maids are either playing or chanting, and she is the only one here looking after the accounts and worrying about the affairs of the mansion."

"Even if it comes to her looks, she would definitely be the concubine in this room, but she doesn't take advantage of her favor to be arrogant, and works tirelessly."

"In the future, I must also emulate her, so that I can be entrusted with important tasks by Miss Lin and accepted by the Marquis."

She muttered to herself in her heart, but saw that after Qin Keqing realized she was coming, she quickly closed the "account" and pressed it under her body.

"Qingwen? Why are you here? Shouldn't you be in the capital?"

Qin Keqing was also very surprised to see Qingwen.

After taking a few breaths, the exhausted Qingwen simply explained: "I came south to deliver something. Here are some new accounts for Miss Qin."

As he spoke, he opened the small bag he was carrying and took out the account books one by one.

After displaying them on the table, Qingwen reached out to the old accounts under Qin Keqing and said, "Miss Qin, give me the old accounts in your hand. I will keep them and hand them over to the account office for sealing when I return to Beijing."

Qin Keqing, however, seemed to have received an electric shock. She immediately slapped Qingwen's hand away, smiled awkwardly and said, "No need. I'll keep it and hand it in when we finish checking it together."

After being patted on the back of her hand, Qingwen's hand just hung in the air in a daze.

Qin Keqing was so distant that Qingwen could not help but feel a little surprised. "Sure enough, no one in this room has accepted me yet. I just wanted to share some of the work, but I am being treated so cautiously."

Qingwen sighed inwardly and decided that she would be more careful in the future.

Her current situation is no longer the same as when she was in Rongguo Mansion. If anything goes wrong in Anjing Hou Mansion, it may affect her stay or departure.

It would be good to win the trust of one person. Qingwen was not discouraged. She secretly encouraged herself and left.

When she came to the room where the maids lived, she did not go to rest first, but could not wait to find Zijuan, her old acquaintance in Rongguo Mansion, to seek some help.

After she explained her purpose, the kind-hearted Zijuan certainly did not refuse and looked at the clothes she had woven with her.

When Zijuan touched the patterns on the lapels of her outer garment, she could feel that Qingwen had put a lot of effort into every stitch and thread, and she also felt Qingwen's desire to integrate into the mansion.

"Sister, you made really good clothes. We have been in the room for a long time and no one has made clothes for the master. The most we can do is make shoe uppers. We are old people, but we are not as thoughtful as you. This needlework skill can also make you live in peace and stability in the mansion."

After hearing Zijuan's praise, Qingwen felt relieved and continued to ask, "Isn't this decoration too luxurious? Will the Marquis mind since he is always simple?"

Zijuan rubbed her chin, thought carefully, and said, "The master doesn't usually pay much attention to what he wears, so he probably won't care."

As the two were chatting, many maids came in from outside. Ruizhu, Zhuzhu, Ying'er and Xiangling all arrived, but when they saw Qingwen was still in the room, they immediately hid the new newspaper they had bought from the mountain with great difficulty behind them and did not mention the matter.

Ying'er looked at the clothes in Zijuan's hand and said first, "What beautiful clothes. Are they for the Marquis?"

Zijuan smiled and nodded, then looked at Qingwen, "Qingwen made this for the master."

Ying'er couldn't help but reach out and touch the material, nodding and praising, "What a great needlework! None of the needleworkers in our room can do it to this level."

Not only Ying'er praised, Xiangling, Ruizhu and Baozhu also nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, Ruizhu came to her senses and said, "Since Qingwen is so good at needlework, she should be very good at it, right? I read in a story that someone secretly used a needle as a key to unlock a copper lock. Maybe Qingwen can do it if she tries?"

Zijuan laughed and said, "How can you take the things in the storybook seriously?"

Ruizhu begged, "It won't hurt to give it a try."

Everyone wanted to know what was hidden in Qin Keqing's wooden box, which not only asked her to take it from the room, but also to keep it with her at all times and not reveal a single detail to outsiders.

Qingwen couldn't stand the stubbornness any longer, and she wanted to rest, so she followed the other girls back to Qin Keqing's room.

But at this time, Qin Keqing was gone, as if she had been called away by Lin Daiyu.

Ruizhu deftly found a wooden box from under the pillow, and sure enough, there was a copper lock on it.

Xiangling and Baozhu were standing guard outside the door, while Ying'er and Ruizhu looked at Qingwen hopefully, hoping that she could open the bronze lock.

Qingwen took out the needle she often used, still feeling a little uneasy, "Since Miss Qin wants to lock it up, she must not want others to see it. It's a private thing. If we open it this time, what if Miss Qin is unhappy and blames us?"

"I, I can't bear it."

Ruizhu patted her chest and said, "Don't worry, go ahead. My sister definitely doesn't have anything private. If she blames you, just push it onto me."

Qingwen, who had no status in the room, wanted to gain the approval of the girls. She had no way to refute their requests and had no choice but to do as they asked.

"I've never done anything like this before. Don't blame me if it doesn't work."

Ying'er said anxiously, "Don't blame me, don't blame me. Just try your best. If it doesn't work today, we can try a few more times."

Baozhu called out from outside the door: "Hurry up, sister will be back soon."

Qingwen had no choice but to take out the needle she often used, insert it into the lock core, and try to trigger the mechanism inside.

In fact, the structure of a copper lock is relatively simple, and Qingwen is very good at using needles. When she pierces deeper, she keeps feeling the changes at the touch point to see if there are any signs that can turn the mechanism like a key.

After several attempts, each time it was just a hair's breadth away from opening, Qingwen thought it was about to open.

The long journey in recent days, coupled with such strenuous work, made Qingwen sweat profusely. She kept wiping it with her sleeves and insisted on unlocking the door.

Suddenly, Xiangling came running in and said, "Sister Keqing is back. Don't try it yet."

Ruizhu stared at Qingwen and asked, "How is it? Can it be opened?" Qingwen nodded. After trying it, she was somewhat confident. "It should be able to be opened, but I am a little tired today and can't exert much strength."

Ying'er hurriedly chimed in, "Okay, okay, okay, then let's come back another day. Let's restore everything to its original state first, so that Sister Keqing won't see it."

Everyone hurriedly put the wooden box back to its original place and stood aside, away from the bed.

Qin Keqing walked back to the door and thought for a moment that she had entered the wrong room. She stepped back and looked around carefully before she smiled and said, "What's going on? Why are you all gathered here today? But it just so happens that Miss Lin was just asking me to come over to you. She has something to say. Sisters, come with me, okay?"

……

A Buddhist temple is now a quiet place dedicated to Lin Daiyu.

Every day she would pray for the safety of Yue Ling who was far away, sitting on the futon for at least four or five hours.

As for believing in Buddhism, Lin Daiyu is not as devout as her mother. It's just that Yue Ling went to the battle and she really couldn't help. So she could only use this method to make herself dissatisfied with pleasure.

Everything in the Anjing Marquis Mansion was won by Yue Ling through battles one after another. She was taken care of by everyone, so naturally there was no reason for her to feel at ease.

As for these tactless little maids in the room, she would also discipline them on behalf of Yue Ling today. Lin Daiyu made up her mind secretly.

I encouraged myself, and then I saw the girls filing in, all walking inside.

Everyone seemed to have an inexplicable regret on their faces. No one knew what had just happened. Qin Keqing came closer and said, "Miss Lin, everyone is here."

They all really came, even Xue Baochai came along to listen to what Lin Daiyu had to say.

Lin Daiyu suddenly felt a little nervous. After all, she was only respectfully called "Miss" by the maids, and the only people she was involved with were Xueyan and Zijuan.

She usually acted so arrogantly in the room only because of Yue Ling's doting, which made the maids unconsciously give her some respect.

But if she really disciplined her, it would be like doing the job of a mistress in the bedroom, which made Lin Daiyu nervous and a little embarrassed at the same time.

But this kind of thing still needs someone to do it. There are too many girls in the room, and they are all poorly disciplined. How can it go on like this?

After coughing lightly, Lin Daiyu said, "Well, now that everyone is here, I will explain the situation. This is Miaoyu's mountain gate, a place for Buddhist meditation, not the Anjing Marquis's residence, nor the Fengqiao Inn. You should be more careful about your words and actions and stop making noise all the time."

"Although there are not many pilgrims here and you don't usually meet outsiders, you still have to be aware of yourselves and dress appropriately and speak appropriately."

"If you have nothing to do, you can chant sutras with me here and pray for Brother Yue. Otherwise, you can also sweep the gate of the Buddhist temple to the best of your ability. It's much better than making trouble like you guys."

After the lecture, Lin Daiyu still hasn't forgotten the Queen's advice. This is also a method often used by Yue Ling, a big stick followed by a sweet date.

After a pause, Lin Daiyu said, "If someone does a good job, I can ask Brother Yue to meet one of her conditions, how about that?"

As soon as these words came out, the girls who were originally very calm suddenly became like boiling water. Someone immediately raised his hand and asked, "Any conditions are acceptable?"

Lin Daiyu looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the person raising her hand was Ying'er. She couldn't help but raise her eyebrows and said inwardly, "As Baojie's maid, why are you still meddling in other people's affairs? Is there anything else you want Brother Yue to do for you?"

But Lin Daiyu still held back and said, "You need to negotiate this condition with Brother Yue. It will be fine as long as he agrees."

All the girls' eyes lit up, especially Qin Keqing's, who lit up again and again. It was obvious that there was no maid in the room more obedient than her, as long as Yue Ling was not around.

Xue Baochai looked at Lin Daiyu and just smiled secretly. Lin Daiyu felt something and looked over, teasingly saying, "Sister Bao should not have the heart to compete with them."

Xue Baochai covered her face with a round fan, and raised the corners of her mouth slightly, saying: "I would like to argue with them. After all, it's to ask the Marquis to agree to something. If this condition is put forward, I'm afraid it can't be exchanged for a thousand gold outside."

Lin Daiyu pouted and wanted to roll her eyes. This Sister Bao was really taking advantage of the situation and she really accepted what she had to say.

Xue Baochai continued, "If I can get the Marquis to agree to one of my conditions, I will let him get married as soon as possible, so that the competition for the position of concubine will become more intense. By then, the eight immortals will show their magical powers, and it will be more interesting for me to watch from the side."

Xue Baochai teased everyone in the room, and the girls lowered their heads in shame, and there was silence for a while.

After a few breaths, a cold female voice broke the silence, "Ms. Lin, am I included?"

Looking at the person who spoke, Lin Daiyu gradually widened her eyes. It turned out to be Miaoyu who was holding a wooden fish and the Heart Sutra. Her eyelids couldn't help but tremble, "Is that the Dharma you are holding?!"

……

Shuangyu Island,
After the successful beach landing, the war on the island gradually became more intense.

The defenders on the other side of the island also reacted and attacked from the other side in small boats before nightfall.

The 1,000 troops left behind by Yue Ling relied on fortifications on the shore, shooting arrows to resist and buy time for the battle on the island.

The Japanese equipment was actually not very sophisticated, and only a few Japanese warriors were well-trained. These warriors tended to pay more attention to practicing swordsmanship, and those equipped with bows and crossbows were not the majority.

After the rain of arrows, the invading enemy can be effectively attacked.

When the Japanese landed and fought with their backs to the sea, they had already lost all geographical advantage in the battle.

After reaching the island with so much difficulty, their nightmare had just begun.

After several months of training, the Cangzhou army led by Yue Ling has been able to cooperate closely with each other. Whether it is the Mandarin Duck Formation or the Three Talents Formation, the transition between offense and defense is very fast.

Moreover, facing the newly invented weapons such as wolf-whip and hammer, even the Japanese samurai with strong individual combat power were somewhat helpless at the moment.

The length of the samurai sword is less than half of that of the wolf-whip, so it is impossible to get close to the opponent. Even if you get close, you cannot cut off the opponent's weapon by slashing, and you can be disarmed easily.

The hard training every day has now paid off on the battlefield. The Cangzhou army is becoming more and more courageous as the battle goes on, pressing forward on all the invading enemies step by step, not letting a single one go.

In a one-on-one fight, they had never lost to the Japanese warriors due to their own martial arts skills, and now they had so many advantages, making the battle a one-sided massacre.

The Cangzhou army was like a lion hunting its prey, chasing and intercepting all the reinforcements that landed on the island.

Soon, before the sunset glow faded away, the seashore was already dyed blood red.

At the same time, street fighting was going on on the island.

In this battle, Yue Ling not only wants to destroy the Japanese pirates' lair, but also to swallow up all the illegal assets on the island.

Apart from the illegal property looted, there are also secret transactions with the Southeast nobles. All assets will be confiscated and no one will be wronged.

At this moment, it is necessary to take over the lanes and control stability everywhere.

The Japanese who heard the news also attacked the Cangzhou army from all directions.

In an alley, the two teams encountered enemies that were several times larger than their own. Even so, they still held their weapons and moved forward.

The alley here is too narrow, and long weapons, especially wolf-whips, cannot be wielded.

If a single soldier did this, he would be full of flaws in the alley and unable to defend against the enemy. But now there are two complete formations, both with long weapons in front of them, and shieldmen to block the arrows, making these two teams like hedgehogs, making it impossible for the Ronin to break through.

The two teams cooperated closely, one in front and one behind to block the enemy in opposite directions, leaving their backs to the other side.

But after all, facing a force several times larger than their own, the two sides were in a stalemate for a while.

The Japanese talked a lot, and no one knew what they were shouting, but after that, the enemy's attack became more fierce, trying to find flaws everywhere, wanting to take down this small group of officers and soldiers.

When the battle was so intense that both sides were blood-thirsty, the Japanese suddenly laughed at the opposite side.

Someone looked up and found that some Japanese had climbed up the high wall nearby and were aiming their bows and arrows at the Cangzhou army below.

It is possible to resist head-on, but it is impossible to dodge an attack from a high position in this alley.

At this critical moment, some dust flew up from the wall, and several pieces of broken tiles fell to the ground and shattered, accompanied by the painful howls of the Japanese, and their bodies fell heavily to the ground.

The sudden change caused both sides to stop unconsciously and look up.

Liu Xianglian sensed something was wrong and rushed over from a distance, stepping on the wall. He killed all the Japanese on the wall cleanly and neatly, and then said to the two teams below: "Don't go deep into the alley, just guard the entrance of the alley. Hold out for a while, and reinforcements will come to support you soon!"

The captains of the two teams were very excited and said, "Thank you, Commander Liu!"

Even more intense than the battle in the alley was the battle in front of the general's mansion.

Yue Ling led the most powerful team among the well-trained Cangzhou troops and blocked the gate of the general's mansion.

What made this team different from the other two thousand-man armies was that they were equipped with firearms.

Bird guns, matchlock rifles, etc. have been integrated into the formation, making the army invincible and marching all the way to the gate of the general's mansion.

In front of the gate, countless Japanese corpses blocked the road and blood was flowing everywhere.

Not long ago, the elite Japanese troops in the general's mansion rushed out of the gate several times to break through the encirclement, but were driven back by Yue Ling's musket fire.

In front of the general's mansion, facing the current situation of inevitable death, the remaining staff also felt it was quite difficult and could not make up their minds for a while.

"Marquis An Jing is coming with great force, and he is determined to kill us all. What should we do now?"

There was silence in the hall for a while, and finally someone spoke up: "They have firearms. Even if their accuracy is not as good as that of bows and arrows at such a close distance, the damage they cause is difficult for us to resist even with our armor. However, firearms are slow to refill. If we can seize the gap between refilling gunpowder and rush out in one go, we may have a chance to survive."

(End of this chapter)