Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 326 The cat's meow is very pleasant

Breakfast time,

The little girls from the opera troupe were also invited to the main hall to dine, which made them feel flattered.

I thought they would be kicked out soon after doing such an outrageous thing, but I didn't expect to receive kindness again.

But when they came to the door again, as soon as they stepped over the threshold, they couldn't help but think of what happened yesterday, and their faces turned slightly red.

They really didn't have the nerve to join in the fun, but they didn't dare to disobey the host's invitation.

After we sat down at their table, I looked up and secretly glanced at other people, and felt a strange atmosphere.

The other maids seemed to be even more ashamed than them, with their heads hung and their chests hunched, as if they had done something terribly wrong.

This made them feel better for some reason, but they didn't dare to speak casually.

Secretly looking at Yue Ling and Lin Daiyu who were sitting next to each other above, they were just like a couple, serving food and pouring tea to each other. The girls, who had never seen such a scene, blushed slowly and started to have wild thoughts.

The two of them haven't even gotten married yet, but they're already so intimate. How could this not arouse people's speculation?

But the girls nearby were used to it and simply ignored it.

After finishing their meal quickly, the girls from the troupe took the initiative to take on the task of cleaning.

In Yue Ling's eyes, there were too many girls in the room, making him dizzy.

There were already nine of them, and if Miaoyu and Qingwen were included, there would be twenty-three people in the small opera troupe. They were all dressed in colorful clothes and everyone had a different expression. Fortunately, the atmosphere today was subtle and few people spoke.

If a group of girls start chattering, it would be really a headache.

The maids who had done something wrong left, and Yue Ling and Lin Daiyu had their after-dinner tea and then they started chatting again.

To avoid bringing up the awkward topic, Yue Ling took the lead and asked, "Have you decided on the date for worshipping your mother?"

Lin Daiyu frowned and nodded gently, "Yes, on the twenty-second day of the winter month."

Yue Ling counted on his fingers and found that there was only half a month left. "What else is missing? I'll send someone to buy it."

Lin Daiyu shook her head and said, "Nothing is missing. Nanny Wang has prepared everything."

"That's different. She prepared what she should do, and I have to bring some gifts. I can't go with you to see your mother empty-handed, can I?"

Lin Daiyu raised her head in astonishment and looked at Yue Ling. His angular face was reflected in her eyes, and a layer of mist appeared on her eyes unconsciously.

Lin Daiyu hurriedly took out a handkerchief from her bosom to wipe and cover herself up, her heart trembling.

It was always in such little and unintentional things that she could feel Yue Ling's respect and care for her. Perhaps that was why she was willing to rely on Yue Ling and stay in this mansion to fight wits and courage with a group of vixens.

Lin Daiyu lowered her head slightly, pursed her lips, and replied, "Okay."

Yue Ling raised his head and thought for a moment before saying, "Speaking of which, it's almost the New Year, and Lord Lin is not far from Yangzhou. How about we pick some New Year goods and send them over?"

Lin Daiyu pondered and said, "Are we going to Yangzhou to celebrate the New Year?"

Yue Ling shook his head and said, "It's hard to say. It depends on what His Majesty will do after the memorial is submitted. If His Majesty agrees with my proposal, then this New Year will probably be busy. If His Majesty does not accept it, he may call me back to the capital, and it will be a good opportunity to stop by Yangzhou Prefecture for the New Year."

Yue Ling said this, so he would have to stay in Suzhou for a while.

It makes sense that after the provincial government fell, the governor of Jiangsu and Zhejiang became the highest-ranking official in the area, with thousands of official matters waiting for him to handle. How could he just shake his sleeves and leave after sweeping away the Japanese pirates?

Lin Daiyu also knew that Brother Yue was doing big things and wanted to replicate Cangzhou's prosperity in other places. As Jiangsu and Zhejiang were the foundation of the country, they naturally had to stabilize them before they could leave.

Even so, Brother Yue cannot stay outside Beijing for long. He will have to go back one day, and then he will have to pass through Yangzhou Prefecture.

Lin Daiyu was actually a little resistant in her heart. She didn't know why her father was always dissatisfied with Brother Yue, and this was revealed in their correspondence. She didn't really want to go back.

If she went back, and her father insisted on keeping her in Yangzhou Prefecture, how could she disobey? Should she wait for Brother Yue to rescue him?

It seems that neither of these two situations is too good, it is better to follow Brother Yue to travel in Suzhou and Hangzhou.

"Well, it would be nice to send some gifts. Nanny Wang happens to be here. When she is done with the worship, she can take these back."

Lin Daiyu nodded in approval.

……

In the west wing room,

Xue Baochai and Qin Keqing sat opposite each other, neither saying a word, with unhappy expressions on their faces.

Ying'er and Xiangling tactfully went out and went to other people's rooms to play, leaving only the two who were labeled as "corrupting morals" by Lin Daiyu in the room, picking on each other's faults.

Qin Keqing pouted and said, "Things have come to this. I didn't intend to make such a big fuss. I was just playing a little joke on you. Don't be angry with me anymore."

"You made five thousand taels, but I only have less than two hundred taels. I don't want any more."

Xue Baochai frowned and said, "Newspapers lose money in the beginning. Even if they become profitable later, they still have to deduct the costs of repairing the store, printing workshop, manpower, and other writers' royalties. There is not much money that can be saved."

"I dare not say it is too little in front of the Marquis, for I am afraid that the Marquis will think that doing these things is meaningless. I think this is very important."

"But I didn't expect that the Marquis would approve of what we did. If I had known, I would have asked the Marquis for his opinion before doing it."

"Based on the current profit situation, it won't be long before it turns to losses. Not only are local newspapers in Suzhou springing up like mushrooms after a rain, but there are also many imitating newspapers in places like Songjiang."

Seeing that Qin Keqing didn't quite understand, Xue Baochai gestured and said, "It's like this bowl of tea. This cup of tea is Suzhou Prefecture. We drank a lot of it first, but there is not much left. But we can't find another cup of tea for a while, and other teas have been drunk by others."

Qin Keqing understood and asked anxiously, "What should we do then?"

Two hundred taels is not much compared to five thousand taels, but if calculated based on monthly wages, she gets five taels of silver a month, so it would take her twenty months to save up two hundred taels.

She owed the Marquis five thousand taels, and if she could earn two hundred taels in two months, she would be able to pay it back in no time.

But according to Xue Baochai, this business is about to fail, and Qin Keqing can't help but become anxious about it.

Xue Baochai sighed, "For now, I have no choice but to ask the Marquis."

Qin Keqing asked tentatively: "How about I write a few more in the future?"

Xue Baochai raised her eyebrows. "Let's not talk about whether Sister Lin will be happy or not. Didn't you say before that you couldn't write anymore? How come you can write again?"

Qin Keqing pouted, sipped the fragrant tea, raised her eyebrows and said, "At worst, I can write about how Bao Meimei imitated the cat's meow under the eaves yesterday in the article. I can write several articles about this."

"you!"

Xue Baochai was filled with shame and indignation. She raised her hand to hit Qin Keqing, but she did not move. She put her hand back and snorted coldly.

"I took you there with good intentions to earn some money, but you still teased me. If this gets out, I won't be able to stay in the mansion any longer. I'll have to move out. I don't know how you'll be able to pay off the debt owed to the Marquis."

Qin Keqing came to her side with a smile, took her arm, and gently pushed her: "Okay, okay, it's my fault. I apologize to you. From now on, I will never tell anyone about your pretending to be a kitten."

Xue Baochai glared at him with her almond-shaped eyes, "You still bring it up!"

"Okay, okay, don't mention it anymore."

Before they could do so, the two of them wanted to go see Yue Ling together, but before they could even leave the house, Yue Ling came over on his own initiative.

As soon as he entered the door, Yue Ling was stunned when he saw Qin Keqing's figure. Then he stared at her red lips with slightly messy rouge, and his imagination ran wild.

Touching the tip of his nose to hide his embarrassment, Yue Ling coughed lightly and asked, "Why is Keqing here too?"

Qin Keqing easily caught Yue Ling's burning gaze. She glanced at Xue Baochai, who had already lowered her head in shame, and a blush slowly appeared on her face.

"I...I came to talk to Sister Bao about the official newspaper."

"Sister Bao said that it's getting harder and harder to run the official newspaper. We can't find new sources of income and may lose money soon. We are worried about this."

Before the charming atmosphere faded, Qin Keqing quickly shifted the topic to business, stood up, welcomed Yue Ling in, made him sit down, and poured him tea.

Yue Ling pretended to be calm and took it, saying, "I came to see Miss Bao for this very reason."

"Suzhou is densely populated and has a flourishing literary culture. It is a good place to develop official gazettes. We have chosen this place to take advantage of the right time and location. However, due to the transportation conditions, we cannot cover places outside Suzhou. If we want to expand it, it will definitely not be easy."

"I have two suggestions. First, try to use the river to transport goods and build a printing workshop by the river. Then send the printed materials down the river to the surrounding prefectures and cities to make evening newspapers. Second, open a page in the official newspaper to advertise."

"Advertisement?" Xue Baochai and Qin Keqing asked in unison.

Yue Ling nodded and explained: "Advertisement means to spread the word. Our newspaper is already famous. At this time, if a store in Suzhou opens and wants to promote its brand, the best way is not to write a sentence introducing the store in our newspaper to attract customers. I call this an advertising slogan."

"When we publish an advertisement, we can charge a fee based on the length of the words, which is a new source of income."

Xue Baochai, who had a keen business sense, quickly understood and nodded, "Every time we publish a newspaper, we will earn advertising income, which is no different from printing money."

Yue Ling smiled and said, "It's thanks to you two that we were able to quickly seize the market of Suzhou Gazette. I just read the article, um... it's quite literary, but be careful not to write anything that's too referential."

Qin Keqing widened her eyes and asked, "Can you still write?"

Then she blushed and lowered her head, "I really don't write this kind of article because I like writing."

Yue Ling and Xue Baochai couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.

Qin Keqing drooped her eyebrows slightly, and after a moment she smiled awkwardly along with the two of them.

Yue Ling thought for a moment and said, "In the future, when the second branch of the Xue family has established shipping, we can also sell newspapers to Ningbo and other places by sea. At that time, it will depend on the quality of the articles."

"We can't just use the following three methods to attract people. We should think of something different."

"If it really comes to that, I can help you write an article to explain your majesty and my strategy for the new policy. It should be a hot seller."

Xue Baochai clapped her hands happily. Only in front of Yue Ling did she act more like a little girl.

"That's great. With the reputation of the Marquis, we will definitely be able to open up sales channels."

Yue Ling nodded, "You should contact the second branch of the Xue family more often. Xue Baoqin is also a very outstanding girl. I think we will have to rely on her for many things in the future."

Xue Baochai's joy froze. She had never expected that Yue Ling said that Baoqin had done a good job on Shuangyu Island. Moreover, Baoqin had received such a high evaluation from Yue Ling just this once.

As Baoqin's elder sister, with whom she had constant correspondence, of course she knew best how much Baoqin could do.

His knowledge is no less than his own, his vision is even broader than his own, he is well-versed in the Four Books and Five Classics, poetry and songs, and his appearance is also outstanding.

The only drawback is that I am still young and haven't experienced much trouble.

Once she was reminded by the Marquis on Shuangyu Island that she would make a big splash if she did not make a move, her position as the top foreign affairs official would seem to be no longer secure.

Seeing that Xue Baochai was a little absent-minded, Yue Ling asked, "Hmm? What's wrong?"

Xue Baochai shook her head repeatedly, "Don't worry, my lord. I know what to do."

He had planned to take advantage of this incident to leave Canglang Garden in shame and avoid the spotlight, but if he left, he was afraid that Xue Baoqin would move in the next day.

Xue Baochai quickly dismissed this idea and decided to work harder for Yue Ling's great cause.

Yue Ling nodded and said, "Before I officially publish the article, I can give you some future policy arrangements to warm up in advance and use the court newspaper as an outlet for public propaganda."

"The task is heavy, you still have to work hard."

Xue Baochai nodded solemnly, "Don't worry, Lord Marquis, I won't let you down."

Yue Ling stood up and took a few steps outside, but before he went far, he turned back.

Yue Ling was very concerned about Xue Baochai's momentary distraction just now. After all, Xue Baochai has always been capable, mature and scheming, with a steadiness that does not match her age. How could she lose her composure?
Considering what he said before and after, it seems that it was because he mentioned Xue Baoqin.

Yue Ling understood a little bit. It is very common for girls to be competitive, especially for a strong-willed girl like Xue Baochai.

"Your sister Baoqin is not mature enough now. She is still a little bit inferior to you. You can write to her and give her some guidance."

Xue Baochai felt relieved and nodded in agreement.

Yue Ling smiled again and said, "Of course we have to teach you some good things. For example, don't teach the cat's meowing in the corridor, even though your meow sounds very similar and pleasant."

Qin Keqing burst into laughter and fell on the table beside her, laughing so hard that she fell backwards and clapped her hands twice.

Xue Baochai: “…”

……

The capital city had been silent for several months. After dawn, people saw prison vans driving into the Zhengyang Gate.

The officers and soldiers were guarding around. The people in the prison van were all dying, their faces were pale, and their bodies were trembling from the cold wind.

The criminals who were brought from afar were either extremely vicious or powerful people, so they attracted the attention of the crowd.

"Where did this come from? Did you hear it?"

"Where are they from? Of course they are from Jiangnan. Look at how lightly they are dressed. They have no idea how cold it is in the capital during the coldest days of winter."

"Jiangnan? Isn't Marquis An Jing in charge of Jiangnan?"

"That's right. They were escorted to the capital by Marquis Anjing. They are all high-ranking officials. Even the prime ministers of Jiangsu and Zhejiang were escorted here."

"Hiss, so powerful? What kind of crime is this?"

"If you go against Marquis Anjing, you are certainly not a good person. You will be sent to the capital to be executed. Just wait and see. These corrupt officials should be killed together."

"..."

The crowd was bustling and noisy.

Along the way, they had seen too much, their eyes were dull and lifeless, they were tortured to the point of being unrecognizable, and all they wanted was death.

After passing Zhengyang Gate, eunuchs were already waiting there.

"Your Majesty has ordered that the guilty officials Qian Shiyuan, Sun Yicai, Xu Yaozu, Zhen Yingjia and others be imprisoned and executed on a chosen day!"

In the Imperial City, in the main hall,
The court meeting, which should have ended long ago, has not yet ended. Because a war report has been received, the court meeting has to continue.

When the battle report was presented to the imperial desk, Emperor Longyou frowned slightly, feeling a little worried.

The current situation of the national treasury makes it impossible to wage war. If the Jurchens attack the border, it will be difficult to deal with.

But Emperor Longyou, who came from a military background and was a cavalry emperor, had no reason to hesitate. He unfolded the letter and read it through.

Below, the ministers did not dare to look His Majesty in the face, so they began to whisper in the hall, asking where the war had broken out again.

Since the disaster caused by the northern barbarians many years ago, the vitality of the three auxiliary areas of the capital has not yet fully recovered. From Zijing Pass to the foot of the capital, only three or four out of ten households are left. Dachang simply cannot afford another big war.

Before anyone could say anything, they heard Emperor Longyou's loud laughter echoing in front of the hall.

"Happy, happy!"

Emperor Longyou slapped the letter on the shore and couldn't help cheering a few times.

This unusual action startled Xia Shouzhong, who was holding a whip at the side, and he couldn't help but glance over to see what was going on.

Although everyone didn't know what kind of battle report it was, when they saw Emperor Longyou's reaction, they knew it was victory news. They all breathed a sigh of relief and bowed to congratulate him.

Emperor Longyou waved his hand and said, "Prime Minister An, please read this battle report to all the ministers."

"As ordered."

As An Jingzhong grew older, his figure became increasingly frail. Out of sympathy for him as an old minister of the previous dynasty, Emperor Longyou even gave him a seat during the morning court session, but An Jingzhong felt very uncomfortable sitting there.

He had known about Zhao Deyong's affairs for a long time. As a person from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, he could not be free from involvement.

He had begged for rebirth many times before, but Emperor Longyou refused.

When this battle report was brought into the court today, An Jingzhong vaguely guessed that it might be related to this case. Otherwise, Emperor Longyou would not have needed to let him read it.

Helped by Xia Shouzhong, An Jingzhong took over the battle report, took a few breaths, and an old voice rang out in the hall.

"On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Wang Shun, a bandit from Shuangyu Island, led a large number of Japanese pirates to attack Suzhou. Marquis An Jing successfully set up an ambush. Yang Lin, deputy commander of the Beijing Camp, fought the bandits at the foot of the Changmen Gate, beheaded 3,000 enemies, captured 200, and pursued them to the riverside."

"The gunboat opened fire and hit the pirate ship directly, causing a huge fire on the pirate ship. Wang Shun committed suicide."

"On the ninth day of the winter month, Marquis Anjing stationed his troops at Dinghaiwei for a month, crossed the sea in black robes, and fought against the Japanese pirates at Shuangyu Island at dusk. He captured 2,000 heads and 3,000 prisoners, who have been escorted to the capital. No one in the new army under Marquis Anjing was killed in the battle."

When he read the sentence "no one was killed in the battle", An Jingzhong's voice couldn't help but tremble.

He had been in the position of Prime Minister for a long time, but he had never heard of a major victory with zero casualties, let alone against the notorious Japanese pirates.

Dachang had rarely won battles against the Japanese pirates, so this complete and overwhelming victory was simply a miracle.

Could it be that the soldiers under Yue Ling are all heavenly soldiers and generals with three heads and six arms?

Not only An Jingzhong had this question, the entire court was in an uproar.

The generals were shocked at Yue Ling's increasingly sophisticated ability to lead troops. He was able to achieve victory while controlling casualties. What Yue Ling can do on the battlefield now is probably beyond their imagination.

However, not all the generals were on the same page as Yue Ling, and some questioned the authenticity of the battle report.

Shui Rong from the Beijing County Prince's Mansion, who had gathered behind him a group of young men from the four kings and eight dukes' families who had not profited from the Northern Barbarians' calamity, could not stop criticizing this battle report.

Shui Rong raised his eyebrows, secretly clenched his fists, and said to the people behind him: "Questioning the battle report is the business of the civilian officials, why are you so anxious?"

Seeing Shui Rong's unhappy expression, everyone fell silent.

The civil officials were of course extremely shocked. Although they did not go to the battlefield, they knew that a general's success is based on the sacrifice of thousands of soldiers. How could there be no casualties in such a great victory?

Even if you are trying to take credit for killing innocent people, you wouldn't dare report your achievement like this, right?
Immediately, an imperial censor stepped forward and said, "I beg Your Majesty to send someone to verify whether the battle report of Marquis Anjing is true. It is really shocking that there were no casualties."

Emperor Longyou, however, was in high spirits. He did not believe at all that Yue Ling would hide any tricks in the battle report.

Besides, Yue Ling is not a fool. If no one was really killed, how could he dare to write this? Isn't he waiting for others to question him?

Therefore, in the eyes of Emperor Longyou, this battle report was absolutely true.

It is normal for some people to question it, and Emperor Longyou did not mind. He stroked his short beard with a smile and said, "Okay, no one died in battle is an achievement that I have never achieved, so it is reasonable to verify it."

"Lord Sun, since you are the one who brought this up, you should check it out."

His eyes fell on An Jingzhong again, "Lord An, you haven't finished reading yet."

The hall fell silent, it turned out that the battle report was not over yet.

The officials looked at An Jingzhong, whose figure was becoming more and more hunched, with burning eyes, but they could see a hint of loneliness in his expression.

An Jingzhong did not continue reading, but raised his hands and said sadly: "Zhao Deyong is my student. He has committed such a treasonous act and betrayed his country. He deserves death. I cannot stay out of this matter. I beg for my life."

The sound was vigorous yet so sad, like the last few cries of an old cuckoo.

Although Prime Minister An had his faults, in the previous dynasty, he was stubborn and argumentative, and was a model of a loyal minister. When he got older, he became a mediator between Emperor Qingyuan and the officials, sorting out the conflicts between the monarch and his ministers.

After the new monarch took office, he played a certain role in maintaining stability, but if there was an unworthy disciple among his disciples, he would not be able to escape punishment.

Emperor Longyou nodded slightly, and Xia Shouzhong took the battle report back and read out the rest of the content himself.

"Let me read it."

"On the eleventh day of the winter month, Zhao Deyong colluded with the Japanese pirates and agreed to flee with his family by boat in Ningbo Prefecture. An Jinghou pursued them eastward, bombarded the Japanese warships, and stopped them."

"Afterwards, Japan signed a treaty, interfered in Dachang's affairs, fired the first arrow to provoke the dispute, and paid a compensation of 5 million taels of silver..."

All officials trembled.

Emperor Longyou put down the battle report, and his eagle-like eyes focused on An Jingzhong. "Prime Minister An has made great contributions to the country. His disciples are disloyal, not Prime Minister An. I agree to your request to resign..."

(End of this chapter)