Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 344: Yue Ling? A playboy!

Yue Ling, who was shaken to the point of being dizzy, quickly pressed down Lin Daiyu's hand and comforted her softly, "Calm down, he hasn't come in yet, you hide first."

Looking around, she saw that the bed curtain was a completely enclosed space, and the furnishings outside were extremely simple. Even if she was slender, she would not be able to find a place to hide.

Lin Daiyu's eyes were red with anxiety again. She grabbed the corner of Yue Ling's clothes, as if she was grabbing a life-saving straw and refused to let go. "Where can I hide?"

Yue Ling suddenly had an idea and spread out the bed, saying, "Just hide inside. Don't make any noise or move."

Lin Daiyu's eyes widened, and she asked in disbelief, "Is this possible? This gauze-like curtain is too transparent, Daddy will definitely find out that there is someone in the bed."

Yue Ling gently tapped Lin Daiyu's forehead to make her more awake, and whispered in her ear: "Can your father turn over my bed? In your father's eyes, he must think this is a maidservant."

Lin Daiyu's face quickly turned red. She gently pushed Yue Ling's shoulders with both hands, moved away from him, tilted her head and moaned, "Brother Yue! You are so mean, what shameful things you said! I... I... How did I become a maidservant in the emperor's bedchamber!"

The situation was urgent, and even Lin Daiyu, who was very smart, could not think of any other solution. She could only reluctantly crawl into the quilt, with only a little bit of her eyes sticking out, blinking at Yue Ling.

There was another knock on the door. "Yue Ling? Are you asleep?"

Yue Ling responded loudly, "Coming, coming!"

He then unbuttoned a few buttons of his shirt, revealing his chest.

Lin Daiyu stared at all this with burning eyes. When she came to her senses, she immediately saw Yue Ling's intention. She stretched out her hand angrily, clenched her fist and waved it to show her dissatisfaction.

Yue Ling smiled helplessly, pushed her arm back, tucked in the quilt, closed the curtains, and went out to meet Lin Ruhai.

"Shh, don't make any noise, and don't move around."

……

As soon as the door was bolted, Lin Ruhai pushed it open and walked in, shaking off the water droplets on his body.

Yue Ling closed the door and looked outside, only to find that it was raining, and a look of even more apology appeared on his face.

"Didn't you hear that it's raining outside? Lord Lin, come in and have a cup of hot tea to warm yourself up."

As he spoke, Yue Ling walked into the inner room and lit the fire again.

Lin Ruhai wiped his robe and looked up at Yue Ling. He saw that he was in dishevel, wearing only an inner lining, with no hair in a bun on his head, as if he had taken a bath after returning home.

As he walked into the inner room and sat down at the table, Lin Ruhai saw a faint bulge in the mattress, and he felt a little unhappy.

"This guy is too proud of himself. I asked him to go back home earlier. As soon as he came back, he played around with some maids. It was really unbecoming."

"How could Yu'er resist this fellow's debauchery?"

Lin Ruhai frowned, took the teacup handed over by Yue Ling, and said unhappily: "It took so long, it turns out that I delayed your good thing."

As Lin Ruhai looked into the curtain, Yue Ling could vaguely see that the quilt was shaking, so he could only say awkwardly, "Master Lin, you are joking... I am a little tired from handling official business today, so I plan to go to bed first."

Lin Ruhai drank the warm tea in one breath, put the teacup on the table, and stood up and walked to the front of the hall.

"Come out and talk."

Yue Ling followed behind him with an apologetic smile, nodding repeatedly, "Okay."

At the last moment before leaving, Yue Ling couldn't help but take one more look at the bed, suppressed the little thoughts in his heart, and followed Lin Ruhai out.

After a while, there was no more footsteps in the room. The two people in front of the hall started chatting about business. Lin Daiyu slowly lifted a corner of the quilt and poked her head out.

He glanced around carefully and breathed heavily.

She was so worried about being exposed just now that she buried herself in the quilt. If her father had not left early, she would have almost suffocated.

But such a thrilling thing made Lin Daiyu's heart beat faster and faster.

It seemed like the suspension bridge effect was at work. Although she was scared, she was very happy.

Secretly lifting the curtains and listening to the voices outside, Lin Daiyu could not help complaining, "It's so late, why did Dad come over here? It's really annoying, disturbing my peace for no reason."

In front of the hall, Lin Ruhai and Yue Ling sat opposite each other at the table.

Lin Ruhai took a deep breath and said, "After the coroner at the government office examined the body, he identified it as Liu, the old accountant of the Bao family. There were also marks of strangulation on the neck, which means it was a deliberate murder and then the body was buried."

"This Manager Liu has worked as the accountant for the Bao family for many years. He has worked for the Bao family since Bao Zhidao's father was in charge of the Bao family. He and I have met each other several times."

"He has no children, and his wife passed away many years ago. The bailiffs searched his home and found a blood-stained account book, but it was so damaged that they had to let someone identify the contents."

"Prefect Cui discussed with me that Manager Liu, as an elder of the Bao family, must know a lot of the family's secrets. The account he kept must be the basis for his survival."

"The Bao family couldn't find the accounts that were left outside again and again, so they chose to kill people to silence them."

"The motive and time of death are consistent, and it's reasonable. There are both witnesses and physical evidence. The case can be closed."

"I have also had doubts. This Shopkeeper Liu has devoted himself to the Bao family, but he didn't live in the mansion to retire. This is really wrong."

"At present, only the salt tax accounts are unclear. How much did the Bao family forge and what means were used? We need to make a final determination before we can make a verdict."

Yue Ling frowned slightly when he heard this and asked, "If the case and the reasoning are exactly the same, the Bao family will be doomed. The New Year is coming soon. What if the Lianghuai Salt Works has no involvement during this period?"

Lin Ruhai tapped the table with his fingers unnaturally and shook his head, saying, "I have discussed this matter with Governor Cui. Even if we let the other families share the food, it will not be easy to do when we are short of manpower at the end of the year."

"Therefore, we will return the sales land of the other two companies, and select another company to manage the land that the Bao family mainly operates, so as to maintain stability."

Yue Ling asked again: "Time is so urgent, we can only choose from the local merchants in Yangzhou. Does Lord Lin have a suitable candidate?"

Lin Ruhai raised his eyebrows slightly, "Outside, you call me Sir, that's fine, but you keep doing it at home, don't you think it's strange?"

"Even if Yu'er hadn't happened, you wouldn't be so distant."

Yue Ling couldn't help but glance towards the inner room, and said with a wry smile: "Brother, please tell me."

Speaking of Lin Daiyu, Lin Ruhai shook his head again, but at the moment official duties were more important, so he thought for a while and said, "I only manage salt merchants, and I don't have much dealings with other merchants."

"Moreover, the areas where the Bao family operates are mainly in the north of Lianghuai and Shandong, and they need local merchants to have a good influence in the local area."

"Prefect Cui said that he would also go and ask, and he would do me a favor. But he also said the same thing as you, that we should try to choose merchants from Yangzhou, so that we can support the local area." Yue Ling blinked, "Brother, can this Prefect Cui be trusted? How is the relationship between you two?"

Lin Ruhai also frowned, "Prefect Cui is a good person. In Yangzhou, one of the richest cities, his achievements over the years have been praised by His Majesty."

"Indeed, I think the same as you do. I think there is something fishy going on."

"Otherwise, I wouldn't have come so late to ruin your good thing."

Yue Ling scratched his head helplessly again, feeling a little more guilty.

Lin Ruhai ignored Yue Ling's thoughts and continued, "I'm not imitating a woman who gossips behind people's backs. This case really came and went quickly. It has never been so easy to solve a case in the government office."

"Often when everything seems to be perfect, it seems more like it is man-made, but after thinking about it, I can't find the crux of the problem."

"And I'm familiar with Bao Zhidao. Although there is always dishonesty in business, he has always been honest. Apart from the usual extravagance of salt merchants, he has done nothing wrong."

"If the Bao family's secrets were exposed because of an accountant, I still have some doubts."

Yue Ling also frowned, "Brother, do you think that Bao Zhidao might have been framed?"

Lin Ruhai shook his head. "Judgment is not subjective. With irrefutable evidence, who dares to say that the arrested person is innocent? If Bao Zhidao is cleared of his grievances, then Governor Cui, who made the judgment, will not have a good ending."

"If you frame someone for a false accusation, you won't be able to keep your robe and hat."

Yue Ling also held the same opinion and nodded, "Brother, what you said is very true, but if we follow what you said, I would rather believe that the Bao family was harmed by a traitor. What was the motive of the traitor?"

"All I can think of is the location of the Bao family salt merchant."

Lin Ruhai's eyes lit up. "The Bao family is in jail, and their property will be divided among many families. The one that has made the most profit will be the most suspicious, especially the two families that have just been eroded. Tomorrow I will send someone to investigate the major salt merchants."

Yue Ling asked: "There are also officials who are responsible for distributing salt from the salt depot. With so much salt flowing out, don't they notice anything unusual?"

Lin Ruhai was slightly stunned. If his subordinates committed embezzlement, it would cause a ripple effect on the entire body. He would have no chance of passing the entire exam.

Taking a deep breath, Lin Ruhai said, "This matter should not be suppressed. I will go back and draft a memorial to report to His Majesty."

As an official in the same dynasty, Yue Ling knew the pressure Lin Ruhai was under.

He had been in office for more than ten years and had never made any mistakes. Seeing that the court was in turmoil and he had the opportunity to return to Beijing, he made another mistake at this critical juncture. All his efforts over the past ten years would be wasted.

As Lin Ruhai stood up, Yue Ling said to him, "Don't worry, brother. I will do my best to help you."

Pushing open the door, he saw dark clouds in the distance, completely blocking the moonlight. There was a drizzle in the air and a cool breeze blowing, making Lin Ruhai's heart even calmer.

"Okay, go back. You don't have to see me off. I won't disturb you from resting."

"However, I have to say one more thing. Yu'er is still young, so you can't get married right away. You are a military officer, you are strong, and you are at an age full of vigor. It is normal for you to have a few concubines."

"I also have two concubines, so I shouldn't say that to you. But you are going to marry Yu'er after all, so you have to be more reserved. Moreover, this is in the Lin residence. Wouldn't Yu'er be disappointed to know that you are so absurd?"

Yue Ling had a bitter look on his face, but he had nothing to refute, so he could only swallow his anger and nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, brother is right."

Lin Ruhai was very pleased with Yue Ling's respectful attitude. He shook his robe and walked into the cold wind and disappeared.

Yue Ling felt helpless. "What is going on? I haven't done anything every time, but I am the one who is misunderstood the most. It's really unfair."

After shaking his head, Yue Ling turned around and went back to his room to find Lin Daiyu to see how she was doing.

……

Walk through the hall and sit on the couch on the corridor, which is sheltered by the eaves and no longer gets wet in the rain.

Along the way, Lin Ruhai had been thinking about the case and couldn't stop thinking about the worst possible scenario.

If a few big salt merchants were jealous of the Bao family, they would join hands to set up a tight net and infiltrate the Bao family, and with the help of the clerks in charge of the salt warehouse, it would not be impossible for them to fabricate this case.

But if the situation is so extreme, the whole Yangzhou will be in a bloody storm.

As he thought about it, Lin Ruhai couldn't help but complain in his heart, "This Yue Ling is really a jinx. Wherever he goes, officials there will lose their jobs. This time, he has targeted me."

"Hey..."

With his head lowered and a sigh, Lin Ruhai walked into the yard again.

Passing by Lin Daiyu's courtyard, Lin Ruhai struggled internally for a while and decided to go in to see if Lin Daiyu had rested well.

Just as I walked around the door, I saw Nanny Wang waiting behind the wall again.

Lin Ruhai looked up at the door and windows of the main room. The lights inside had been turned off, so he asked Nanny Wang, "Has Yu'er gone to bed?"

Nanny Wang was in great pain, but she had lied the first time, so she could only fool around this time and said, "I've gone to bed. I've already gone to bed."

Lin Ruhai frowned, "Then why doesn't Madam Wang go to her room to rest?"

Nanny Wang was torn between her conscience and her desires, but she finally wanted to remind Lin Ruhai that he should not indulge the girl like this any longer. If more people knew about it, what would happen to the reputation of the Lin family?
"Uh, I am waiting for you, Master. I have something I want to tell you."

Lin Ruhai nodded, "Why are you so reserved, Madam Wang? Just say what you want to say."

After hesitating for a long time, Nanny Wang hinted, "In the Anjing Marquis's mansion, there is a maid who looks a bit like you. I think the Marquis intends to take her into his room."

Lin Ruhai was startled when he heard this. After a few breaths, he became angry again. "This playboy, the one in the room must be the maid. No wonder I have such an inexplicable feeling about her."

"Since I can't get close to Yu'er, I'll find someone to be my substitute. Okay, okay, Yue Ling, you're really good at playing."

Lin Ruhai raised his eyebrows and said, "Tell the maid not to go to Yue Ling in the future. Let her serve Yu'er. Mother Wang will keep an eye on her at all times. Tell Yue Ling not to think about those dirty things all the time."

Nanny Wang was a little confused by what Lin Ruhai said, but she understood the last sentence, which was to ask the maid who was currently replacing the girl in the room to come into the room and serve her and sleep with Zijuan and Xueyan.

In this way, the girl can be prevented from sneaking away, and Nanny Wang doesn't have to make the matter clear. It is really a good way to resolve the dilemma.

Nanny Wang nodded repeatedly, "Yes, I will inform the young lady tomorrow morning."

Lin Ruhai snorted coldly and strode back to his room...

(End of this chapter)